Just like The Joker?
by Joker-Girl-Kelly
Summary: Jaqueline "Jacky" Wayne lives in a small town outside of Gotham and she hates it. Full rather long summary inside. CHAPTER 17 UP!
1. Rebel

_**Disclaimer: I don't own the Dark Knight or any of it's characters. Wish I do. But I don't. I do own Patrick, Jacqueline, and pretty much everyone in this first chapter.**_

_**I know that it has nothing to do with the Joker and it's not even set in Gotham city yet. It probably won't for a while yet, but bare with me, because I do have an idea of where I'm going with this. **_

"BUT IT'S NOT FAIR!" I screamed at my dad, who simply sat there looking at the computer screen. He had been doing this in an annoyingly calm manner for about ten minutes now, and it was beginning to drive me bonkers.

"PATRICK ALMOST NEVER GETS IN TROUBLE FOR THE DUMB STUFF _HE_ DOE." I went on angrily. "HE'S…"I trailed off, and took a deep breath in a last ditch effort to try and contain the warm salty tears that were threatening to spill over. "Look dad, all I'm saying is why is it that he never gets in trouble when he does something wrong, but when I do I get grounded for a month. I mean seriously it doesn't even make sense."

Ok, know what, I'm a little ahead of myself here. You probably have a lot of questions by now, including why in the world am I so upset. (And perhaps you're also wondering how my dad can be so calm when I'm screaming at him. To be honest, so am I.) Well, in order to explain all of this, I need to hit rewind and pretty much go back to when I was just a baby…

Well, first of all, I've pretty much been going to church since before I was even born. And, yes, I am the quintessential "goody goody", and I really don't mind it. Well, most of the time anyways. It's been getting harder and harder to stay good. The thing is, my parents are kind of strict. This goes _especially_ when it comes to boys and who I hang out with. This is mainly because my mom's a social worker and my dad trains people like my mom to be social workers. In other words, they know every single trick in the freaken book, and there's no way me or my brother could ever get away with _anything_. Normally neither of us would even try but this was a bit of a special occasion for me…but I'll explain that in a minute. Simply put, I don't have a whole lot of freedom in the first place. But then again _some_ of it _is_ my own choice… But that's another story.

Ok now you know what _I'm _like, but, there's a few other people I need to tell you about in order for this seen to make sense. First of all, my dad. He's a very level headed person, in case you_ hadn't_ noticed. He's also very funny. You wouldn't notice it at first, but stick around for more than five minutes and I guarantee you he'll have made you laugh one way or another. The second person you need to know about is my little brother, Patrick. He's part of the reason that I'm so upset. Patrick is possibly the most annoying boy on the planet Earth (and that's no joke). He loves to annoy me, and most of the time he does it by singing with his "perfect angel" voice. He also comes into my room completely unannounced, takes my stuff, embarrasses me in front of my boyfriend (jeez, and I thought that was my parents' job), and so on and so on and so on and…well you get the picture. Oh yeah, so, here's what happening. I had been begging my parents for the past couple of days to let me go to my boyfriend Matt's house. I hadn't seen him in a while and we missed each other a lot, so we thought it would be a good idea for me to go over to his apartment for a little while that Saturday. Well, as you probably already guessed, my parents had a very different idea. They didn't (and still don't) think it's appropriate for the girlfriend to go over to the boyfriend's apartment (and vice versa), especially when said apartment is in none other than Gotham City. So feeling frustrated and boldly rebellious, I called my boyfriend and told him to come pick me up at the corner at the end of my street. (I told my parents that I was going to a friend's house, and, oddly enough I actually made it to his house, and we had a great time together.). The problem is that it takes at least 2 hours just to get to Gotham, and I didn't get home until 11:00. My parents for waiting for me once I did get home, though, and they knew _exactly _where I had been_._ Apparently they knew from the very beginning, they just didn't tell me, for what reason I still have no clue. They probably wanted to see if I would actually follow through with it, which I did obviously. I would have thought they'd stop me since this isn't exactly the _first _time that this has happened, which probably isn't making my current situation any better. They told me I was grounded, I started getting more and more angry and upset, and then I started yelling and, well that brings me back to…

"Come on. Aren't you guys over reacting anyways. I mean all I wanted to do was see my boyfriend. If you can't stand to see you're "wittle baby girl" grow up, that's not _my_ problem. And besides, I can't believe I'm grounded for a whole freaken month because of this. I mean I thought two weeks maybe, but _a whole month."_

"I told you not to say that word."My dad said, his voice calm as ever.

"What? What word? What the he-e-eck are you talking about?" Oh crap, that was close; I would be in even deeper trouble if my parents heard me cussing.

"I heard that, and I told you not to say the word freaken."

"Oh, well, whatever, it's not like it really matters. Look, it's not the worst thing in the world, I mean me seeing my boyfriend, is it? I mean what did you expect to happen."

"Well, a lot of things _could_ happen. I trust you, but I know how it feels to be around someone and feel the way you do about him. That's how baby's happen, or at least how teenagers lose their virginity. And you said that the last time that you decided to sneak out, and I'm sure you don't want to relive what happened that time."

"Hey, we were protected." My lips curved into a smirk. I couldn't resist. What the hell. I mean, I was already grounded anyway. "And I _know_ what happened last time, and it wasn't _that _big a deal."

Both of my parents looked up and shot me a warning look, and a deadly one at that.

"Jacqueline, you got kidnapped… Need I say more? And 'you were protected'. I should certainly hope you _weren't _fooling around."

"Jeez I was joking. Did you honestly think that I would have _sex_? Sheesh, I'm not stupid you know, I'm really not." Now I was desperately trying not to giggle. My parents both looked absolutely horrified.

"Whoa there, wait a minute. I never said that. And you better wipe that smirk of your face before I come over there and do it myself, this is not at all a joking matter. I can't believe the way you've been acting lately, Jack, I honestly don't know what to do with you. If you keep acting like this, I swear your bags will be packed and waiting for you the day you turn 18." My dad said, still just as calm and collected as before.

"Well since you guys don't trust me, and now you're threatening me, maybe I'll just go live with him once I turn 18. Or better yet, I'll just run away and go live with him now. Then none of this will matter anyways!"

And with that I walked out of the living. I actually started laughing when I got to my room upstairs, imagining the stunned expressions on their faces. Of course, I wasn't that naїve. But hey, it was kinda funny to do that to my parents. I mean, they honestly seemed to think I was willing to do that. If they were going to worry themselves into a tizzy, then I might as well have a little fun with them right?

I lay down on my bed and stare at my ceiling, thinking about how long the next year was going to be. _I'm going to be 17 in one week. My birthday party is certainly going to be…interesting since my parents aren't too fond of any of my friends, provided they even let me have one since I'm grounded now…OH CRAP. _I bolted up right on my bed, freaking out with the sudden realization that I might not even be allowed to have a party. _Ok, ok, calm down Jacky, calm down. You just have to be good for the next week, or at the very least _pretend _to be good. Maybe I can get them to not call it off. _I took a deep breath and decided that I would just have to make it look good. _Hmm…I suppose I could just do what they want for now. I'll wear those awful outfits mom wants me to wear. I'll avoid using freaken and stupid and whatever other word dad doesn't like me to use. I'll stay in the house, do my homework, practice piano… I'll just have to make it look like I'm giving in._ Easier said than done, but I had to try. I had been planning this party since 2 months earlier. To a normal person it probably wouldn't have been that big a deal, but me and my brother alternated every year on who got the big expensive birthday party, and last I hadn't gotten a sweet 16 because it had been _his _turn. I still hadn't quite gotten over that one, which sounds childish I know, but my brother almost got (gets) treated better than me. My parents would, of course, never admit this but it's true. Even my brother notices it. It's always driven me crazy how he gets treated better. I mean, I ask for a few extra dollars to go shopping with and I get nothing, but he asks and he gets $30.00, because he's younger...OH PLEASE. Only by two years. He asks to go to his girlfriend's house, and he gets to go, but I ask and they tell me no because they don't think he's _trustworthy_…and again OH PLEASE. Patrick's girlfriend is a total slut. I would give you more examples but I think you get the picture. I don't like my little brother _at all_ and I'm not too fond of my parents either…_ I can't wait till I turn 18. I'll go live in Gotham, and I bet they won't even miss me back here in this stupid, boring little town…_ before I know it my eyes are closed and I am fast asleep, having wonderful dreams about living with Matt in Gotham City. Oh yeah, this was going to be one very long year.

_**Like I said, no characters from the movie yet, but there will be….Reviews make me very happy. (hint hint.)**__****_He'd alHhh klkjKJLjlkjLKJLKJLK


	2. The Party

_**Sorry, I said I'd give a full summary, but I forgot to in the first chapter sooo…**_

_**Summary:**__** Jacqueline "Jack" Wayne lives 2 hours outside of Gotham City, in a very small town, and she hates it. She's supposed to be a 'good girl' but she feels that whole routine is getting old quickly. When tragedy strikes and her and her mom have to move to Gotham to live with her estranged, rich uncle Bruce Wayne, a certain crazy criminal mastermind takes an interest in her, and she is thrown into a world where good and bad are represented in a totally different way than she's used to.**_

_**There, a…very long summary actually but hey, it works. Now, on with the story…**_

As it turns out, the next week itself would wind up being a pretty long one. It was honestly torture, waking up the next morning and pretending that nothing had happened, and pretending that I hadn't been grounded for a whole month, and pretending that I wasn't so frustrated with my parents that I felt like I wanted to explode. I did it, though. I woke up every morning and forced myself to put on the outfits from the closet full of clothes that my mother had bought me, which was mostly stuff like pink sweaters or short sleeved pink blouses and nice pairs of black slacks and baggy jeans. I don't even like the color pink; I grew out of that when I was 9. My favorite colors are red and black. I wore these outfits despite myself, knowing that I had to get on my parent's good side one way or another. I also did other rather desperate things like being nice to my brother, being wary of what I said around my dad, practicing piano every day like I was supposed to, doing my homework and turning it in on time, ect., ect., ect... You get the idea. It seemed to be working too, my parents were being fairly nice, although we didn't talk much, and had made it very clear that they held almost no more respect for me whatsoever, but I didn't really care about that too much. This was, after all, the last year I would be here. I was positive that they weren't going to cancel my party…..

Friday came and I hadn't said a word to my parents about the party. I figured that it would be a good idea to wait and then bring it up casually, asking them in an I-was-just-curious kind of way. It was now about 6:45AM and I had 15 minutes until I had to leave for the bus, so I walked downstairs to the basement/living-family room where my parents were talking and watching the television. _Oh, good. _I thought to myself. _They both sound like they're in a really good mood. That could definitely work to my advantage. _I walk up innocently, wearing an outfit that both of my parents thought was particularly cute on me, and decided not to beat around the bush.

"Hey mom, dad, can I ask you something?" I said, trying to keep an innocent tone to my voice.

"I would say no, but I'm sure you're going to ask anyways." My mom said, flashing me a playful smile.

"Hahaha…" I laughed sarcastically. "I just realized when I was getting ready earlier we haven't done anything to get ready for my party on Sunday…I _can _still have it, right?"

My parents exchanged looks, and I couldn't tell if this was good sign, or a bad one.

"Well? Don't tell me I can't. I don't remember you ever saying it was canceled." I was starting to get angry, my Irish-German blood began to simmer.

"Well…" My mother spoke up first. "I don't know how to tell you this, munchkin," (Oh that nickname is truly annoying.) "but, when we said _grounded_ we meant from _everything_."

"Wa-wa-wait, what are you saying. Do you mean to tell me that I can't have my party…My sweet sixteen makeup party that I've been planning for an entire month now…since the beginning of March! All because you didn't want me to go see my boyfriend." My blood was fully boiling now, and I could feel my cheeks flushing with anger.

"No, it's not because we didn't want you to go see your boyfriend. It's because we told you that no, you couldn't go and you snuck out and went anyways, and now you're grounded as punishment." My mom said calmly…Why did my parents always do that? Stay so calm all of the time, showing no emotion at all, it's so freaken annoying.

"I DON'T BELIEVE THIS! You promised me I could have this party, no matter what happened and no matter what else got in the way! You told me that I could have it NO MATTER WHAT, because you owe me from last year when that spoiled jerk of a brat that you call your son got to have a big 14th birthday party, while I got nothing, zilch, kapustki for my sweet sixteen. Just a cake here at our house, no party at all. And now this year, I can't have a party because I decided that I was tired of hearing the word 'no' all the time. I don't believe this. My party was going to be the last time me and my friends got to be together as a group, since most of my friends are all seniors, and there going off to college as soon as school ends! I HATE YOU BOTH!" My parents looked absolutely shocked at this last statement.

"I-I-I certainly hope that you _don't _mean that." My dad said, looking almost scared to find out how I would respond.

"Yes, _dad_, I do. You can both die for all I care." And with that I ran upstairs. I could hear them calling after me, but I ignored them as I walked out the door with my backpack and headed for my bus stop. _What am I going to do now. I told all my friends that I would be having a huge party on Sunday, and now what am I supposed to tell them. That my parents said no. This really, truly, completely sucks... Huh? _I'm shaken from my thoughts as my friend, Ranee, walks up to me.

"Hey, Jacky, what's up. You look like you wanna wring somebody's neck."

"Yeah, Ra, that's cuz I _do_ want to wring someone's neck. Two people's actually, three if you count Patrick. My parents won't let me have my party because I'm grounded. Apparently I don't deserve to have a birthday."

"Ooohh, that's really harsh Jacky. Seriously, why are they being so hard on you _just now_. I mean, you've snuck out before right?"

"Yeah, but this is the first time that I actually went all the way to Gotham City and stayed there. They had given me direct orders _not _to go to Gotham, since it's so dangerous there, something about a demented clown being on the loose, but I did anyways. I think I have officially been deemed the 'black sheep' of the family."

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"What can I do? I'm grounded for a month and now I'm not even allowed to have a birthday party."

"Well, you could sneak out and come to my house. We could just have the party there."

"Would your mom let us do that?"

"Yeah, of course, you know my mom. She thinks your parents are _way_too strict. I'm sure she'd even let you hide out at our house if you really need to get away for a few days."

"That…doesn't sound like such a bad idea to be honest, but I don't wanna like, be a burden or something like that." I was skeptical. Her mom was cool, and she had always said that if ever I felt like I needed to get away from my overly strict parents , that she would let me stay with her and Ranee, since it's just the two of them. I had always assumed, however, that she didn't really mean it.

"You wouldn't be a burden, honestly Jacky, we love having you around."

"Well…do you really think she would let us have the party at your house?"

"Well, I don't actually _know._" By now we were at school, and we had to go in opposite directions to get to our lockers. "Hey, I'll call you after school let you know if she says yes, alright?"

"Okay" I said, and from that point on everything was a total blur. I don't really remember being in any of my classes or doing anything in them, like reading 'To Kill a Mocking Bird' in English class, even though my book my mark is now moved back an entire chapter. I don't remember taking any notes in math class, even though there's at least a page and half of fresh notes in my math notebook. Even as I got onto the bus to go home I didn't remember swimming in gym class last period, even though my short, light brown, wavy hair is soaking wet. I barely even remember the bus ride. I'm not even sure what I spent the whole day doing, I think I just spent it daydreaming about being with Matt and about how amazing the party at Ranee's house is going to be. That and thinking up fool proof ways of sneaking out of my house while pretty much being under complete lock down. I walked down the street from the bus stop, got to my house, went inside and up the stairs without even glancing and my brother or my parents, and walked into my room locking the door behind me. And now, here I am, staring at the ceiling, waiting for either Ranee or Matt to call me. Matt had texted me earlier saying that he would call me at some point in the next couple of days because he really needed to talk to me about something, although I'm not really sure as to why he couldn't have just told me then, but I hadn't really had time to ask. My thoughts begin to slowly avert back to my party. _I wonder if Ranee's mom will actually let us have the party there. I wonder if she'll actually let me _stay _with them if I decide to run away for a few days. I wonder if I actually should take her up on it if she says I can, I mean, I don't want to give my parents a heart attack, even if I am insanely frustrated with them right now… _My thoughts are broken by the sound of my cell phone ringing. I pick it up and look at the screen. It's Ranee, probably calling to give me the official answer.

"Hey Ra. Good news, I hope?"

"Yes, very good news!" She replies in an almost too chirpy manner. "My mom said that not only can we have the party _here _but you better pack your bags, cause you can hide out here with us for the whole week if you want to!"

"That sounds great, Ranee, I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am. Now all I have to do is make it till Sunday."

"Yep, so, what time do you think the party should be at?"

"Uuummm, how about at 7:00."

"Alright, sounds great, I'll let my mom and everyone else know."

"Wow, everyone else…We know a lot of people between the two of us, Ra, that could take awhile."

"You forget, Jacky, I have the cell numbers of nearly half the school. That and I happen to know that every one of them almost _always _has their cell phones on. All I have to do is send the same text to everyone in my phonebook. My cell will send it to them all simultaneously."

"Your cell can do that?" I ask skeptically.

"Yeah, it takes a minute, but it can."

"Cool, so I'll see you on Sunday."

"Yep, if you survive till then. Are your parents letting you out of your room at all?"

"Nope, not even to eat. I have to bring it up here." I sighed frustratedly into the phone.

"Wow, that _really sucks_. I can't believe how strict your parents are. Do you think that running away will make it better. I mean I don't want to be the bad guy here, but won't they just ground you for longer."

"Yeah, well, I don't have to live with it for too much longer anyways, because as soon as I turn 18 next year, I'll be as far away from this house as possible when living in Gotham. And I don't care if I get grounded longer really, I just need to get out of here before I snap."

"Gotham? You just love living on the edge don't you? Do you even know how chaotic and crime filled that city is? I don't know about you, but I want to stay as far _away _from there as possible."

"I know, but I'm not you. You used to live in a big city before, you and your mom moved to get away from there. I've lived in this boring town my whole life, I need a little danger and chaos to thrill me." I say, probably sounding kind of dark and maybe even slightly insane, but I don't care, because it's true.

"I…You're…I'm not sure what to say to that so I won't say anything. I'll just see you on Sunday, okay?"

"Kay, by Ranee." I hang up the phone, jump of the bed, and start searching for a duffel bag to put my stuff in. I can't wait for Sunday to come, all I have to do is wait for church to be over at, like, 12:00 and then I can come back home, grab my duffel and be on my way. It will be easy since my parents always take a nap after church and my little brother is going straight over to a friend's house. I begin to rapidly stuff my clothes into my bag, and my thoughts momentarily settle on my boyfriend. _I wonder what he needed to talk to me about…Maybe I should call him…Nah, he said he'd call me. I'll just wait till then, since I don't want to sound pushy or bossy…_ _Hmmm, forget Matt for a sec, how am I gonna sneak out on Sunday._ I pause with a pair of jeans in one hand and a pair of socks in the other, looking at my window and then back towards my locked door, thinking mischievously of all the sheets in the linen closet in the hall way. _Hmm, this could be fun…_

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

_**(A/N: I skipped ahead a couple of days, just so you don't get confused.)**_

If only I had known what was going to happen then, I wouldn't have even planned to sneak out… Oh, no, I'm getting ahead of myself again… Let me rewind back to a couple of days ago…

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Sundays comes and I'm fidgeting in church, wishing that the pastor up at the podium will stop preaching already. It is 12:30, and we've been here for half an hour longer that we usually are. My mother nudged me, and then gave me a small smile when I look at her. I forced myself to smile back, and then went back to pretending to read my bible, like I'd been doing for the past hour and a half. Finally the pastor gave the ending prayer and we walked out of the sanctuary. I started trying to rush my mother and father out of the church, giving them the true excuse that I don't like having to hug all of those little old ladies. I pushed through the crowd of people, my parents never too far behind, and finally made it out of the building. We were completely silent for half of the ride home, since my brother had gone home with his friend, thank goodness, and I was too preoccupied with my escape plans anyways. I thought that we were actually going to make it all the way home without saying a word, but my hopes were shattered when my dad decided he needed to ask me something.

"Hey Jacky?"

"Yeah dad?" I say annoyed.

"If I ask you something, you promise to be totally honest right?"

"Sure dad."

"Did you honestly mean what you said the other day…do you honestly wish we were dead. I'm only asking because you haven't even talked to us in the past couple of days, and your mom and I are starting to get worried."

"Honestly, yeah."

"Can you give an answer other than two words?"

"Sure."

"That's not what I meant."

"Well, whatever, you said other than two words."

"…"

"Look, you guys brought this on yourselves. You're the ones who have to be so strict. Did you really expect me to listen and be perfect _all the time_."

"No, I never expected you to be perfect, I've always expected you to do the best you can. Treating us like what we say doesn't matter and sneaking out only showed us that we failed in that respect, and since we only really have a year left with you before you really _can _do whatever you want, we've simply decided that we are going to have to be harsh on you until then."

"Oh yeah that makes perfect sense. Suffocate me until I'm finally able to get out of here. All the more reason for me to want you dead." And with that, not another word was said.

When we got home, I went straight up to my room and shut the door, headed over to the pile of sheets I had stolen from the linen closet in the hall way, (my mom's best bed sheets to be exact). I began to tie them together one by one whilst waiting for my parents to go to sleep.

I finished with the sheets and glanced at the clock. It was, by then, 1:50. _Nearly 2pm, they should be asleep by now_. I thought as I walked over to my window and threw out the bed sheets, which were tied on the other end to my bed post. I took my duffel bag and slung it around my shoulder, about ready to climb out the window, when I heard a high pitched yet quiet meow at my feet. I set down my duffel, then picked up my cat, Cuddles, and give her a kiss whilst scratching her head.

"Now you be a good kitty, Cuddles, and mommy will be back in a couple of days, ok?" I smiled at her as I walked over to my door and let her out of my room, thinking about how much I love my cat, and how out of all the things that I disliked in my house, she's the only thing I would miss in the next week. I then closed my door and locked it, walked back over to my window and, slinging my duffel back over my shoulder, I started to climb down to the ground. It seemed to take forever, but I finally hit the grass in my back yard and I looked into my parent's window…Nope there wasn't any movement or anything like that, which meant that I was safe. I walked quietly around to the front of my house without even glancing back, and I started to walk down the street, preparing for the long walk to the other side of town where my friend's house is. I would have told her to come pick me up, but I thought it was too risky that my parents might notice, so I just decided to walk, thinking how I'm on the track team in school and I can run a mile in under 8 minutes, so why shouldn't I be able to walk. I sighed and began to let my thoughts wander as I headed for Ranee's house, not even thinking about what I was doing and how wrong it was. If only I had known that I would never see my house, or my cat, or my dad, or my brother ever again. If only I'd known that the next time I saw my mother she would be in a hospital, literally on the edge of death. If only I had known what was going to happen, I wouldn't have said those things to my parents. If only I had known, I wouldn't even have left the house…

_**Hope you like this chapter…More importantly I hope I made you want to read more**__****__**…Oh and please review, I mean 40 hits on my story and only 2 reviews, (Thank you **_melissa Ivory and Affectionate-Sinner). _**Seriously, do ya think you could give me more than that…I would be very happy if you did. hehe.**_


	3. Headaches, Heartaches, and One Big Mess

I got to Ranee's house nearly an hour after I left, and we immediately began to get ready for the party. We took her stereo, which was a huge system set up in the corner of her bedroom, and hooked it up in her living room. We made sure there was a table with food and drinks set up. She even let me borrow one of her dresses, which oddly enough, fit me perfectly. It was a black strapless, with red streaks going down each side of it. It was also rather slutty, and we argued that point for several minutes, but this only resulted in Ranee ultimately winning and her telling me that I was still thinking too much like a goody goody. HELLO RANEE, I just snuck out of my house after getting grounded for a month because I had _already _snuck out of my house to go see my boyfriend in what is possibly the most dangerous city to even be in the first place; I think I passed up goody goody a long time ago…Sorry just had to get that out of my system.

Anyways, not too long after we had our little argument, Ranee's mother came in to talk to us.

"Ok girls, you know me, I'm not really big on 'rules'" She made quotes with her fingers and we shot each other looks, already knowing what she was going to say. "Which is why I'm only going to give you one rule for this party…No drinking, alright. NO alcohol _at all. _The last thing I want is a bunch of drunk teenagers leaving my house after the party's over and then to find out that someone got hurt on the way back home." Ranee and I just looked at each other and started laughing.

"WE KNOW…Don't worry, we won't drink... _Unless someone else brings it."_ We said simultaneously after we finally calmed down again, and then her mother looked at us like we were crazy, which only made us laugh harder than before.

"You too are the craziest pair of friends I have ever seen. And you better be joking about that..." She gave us a look, shook her head at us and walked away, leaving us in Ranee's room still giggling like idiots. I looked at the clock, it read _5:30. _Hm, time flies I guess…

"Gross." Ranee exclaimed as she ran her hand through her hair. It was only then that I noticed she wasn't dressed yet. She had spent so much time helping to get me ready for the party that she wasn't even ready herself. "Greasy much… I'm gonna go take a quick shower. You don't mind do you? I mean, your makeup's not even done yet."

"No, it's fine, I can do my makeup, it just won't be as good as if you did it for me. That's not the end of the world though, and besides you've spent more than enough of your time getting me ready."

"Alright, I'll be out in a couple minutes." And with that she left the room, leaving me to do my makeup _and _some thinking.

_Of course we were technically joking about the drinking thing. We both think that drinking is entirely pointless, considering it creates more problems than it 'erases'. A lot of people in my family are heavy drinkers, and a lot of others in my family have died because of it. I'm just glad my parents were smart enough to learn from the others mistakes and not do the same things. I have to give them their props for that, since they obviously didn't have very good examples, but I just don't get why they have to be so harsh and strict on me, all I want is a little more freedom. It's like they think I'm stupid or completely oblivious, which I'm certainly not either. Hhhmmm, maybe I will get drunk, just so that I can call and scare them... I suppose there's not much else I can do since, come to think of it, things really aren't _that bad_. I mean, sure I wish I had a little more freedom, but I love mom and dad and…hhhmm, him I have to think about … Yeah, I love Patrick too, annoying as he is. I don't know what I would do without them all in the long run. I just wish they wouldn't suffocate me so much… _My thoughts were interrupted when Ranee walked back into the room, clad in nothing but a towel and dripping wet.

"Hey…Wow, not bad for someone who almost never wears makeup." She smiled at me as I took out some red lipstick from my bag of makeup. "Ooooh, not big on the lipstick though. Too gaudy for my taste."

"Well, I can't help it," I said, applying a generous amount to my full lips. "I love red. And besides, it goes perfectly with this dress you gave me."

"Yeah, it certainly does match, I gotta give you that." She shrugged as she walked over to her closet and took out the dress she was going to wear. "I'm gonna go change in the bathroom, since I have to dry my hair anyways."

"Ok, just hurry up, it's getting late." I looked at the clock again: _6:00_. Ranee nodded and walked back out of the room, only to reappear about 15 minutes later wearing her dress with her hair perfectly straightened.

"Wow, that dress is really cute." It was a low cut halter dress, hot pink in color with a white strap. "You look really good."

"Thanks…as I said before, you look pretty great too… Is there anyone in particular that you're hoping to impress?" She asked, trying to sound innocent, but I knew she was dying to know.

"No, of course not, I have a boyfriend remember."

"I know, but don't you want to have a guy to have fun with at your party. I mean, Matt certainly doesn't have to know."

"I guess…If I do decide to dance with someone, then I might as well just, ya know, wing it. I'll go up to some guy randomly and ask him to dance, since all the guys who are dating someone will be with said person. It'll be more fun that way, I guess."

"Haha, that sounds like something _I _would do, and that's saying something since we both know how much crazier I am than you."

"Are you sure about that? I've been told I'm pretty crazy too, just a different kind of crazy than you. My parents think I'm crazy for sneaking out with my college-age boyfriend and going all the way to Gotham."

"Well, I think your pretty crazy for that too, so I have to agree with your parents there."

"Jeez, what is it with you guys. Nothing happened, I wasn't hurt or anything like that, nor was I kidnapped like I was three months ago when I didn't even make it out of town…"

"Ok, ok, ok, I get it. I won't say another word about it, alright."

"Ok, thank you….Wow is it really that close to 7:00 already?" It sure was, and just as I said that there was a knock at the front door. Me and Ranee hustled out of her room and over to the front door of her apartment and opened the door to see about six or seven people standing there, all of them seniors and about three of them being very cute boys. I smiled flirtatiously at the boys as they walked in, and a few of them smiled back. _Hmm, He's a definite possibility._ I thought as one boy in particularly, a football player named Chris, walked in. I walked over to the table with the stereo on it, popped in a CD, and put on an upbeat dance song. By the time I looked back up more people had already begun streaming into the room…_ Wow, this is going to be fun…_

Two hours later and the party was booming. I had stayed of in the corner, feeling a lot less brave then I had been when I had come up the plan to just pick a guy and start dancing with him, and not sure how guilty I would feel if I wound up going any further than dancing. I was positive that none of these guys could compare to Matt…_He's a really great kisser…_ Ranee, who's boyfriend had his arms around her, headed towards me smiling mischievously.

"Hey, Jacky, you know that sexy guy Chris from school…He's on the football team, remember, you used to like him."

"Uh, yeah, I remember him. I still like him, he's one of the nicest guys I know. Why?" I asked curiously, hoping that she hadn't done what I thought she had.

"Well, he doesn't have a date either, and he said that he wants to dance with you."

"I thought he was dating that one really slutty chick on the cheerleading squad." The last thing I wanted was to get into a cat fight with some other girl because I was kissing _her _man. "And besides, I'm dating Matt, remember?"

"No, they broke up about a week ago… Correction, _he_ broke up with _her._ And now he's looking for someone else to be his girl…I think he wants it to be you Jacky, forget about Matt for a moment and just go over there."

"I don't know…" This did not sound like a bright idea.

"Just do it." She unwrapped herself from her boyfriends arms and shoved me towards Chris.

"Hey…" I said nervously.

"Hey, Jacky." He smiled, his face brightening. "I was just looking for you…Will you dance with me?" Wow, he certainly did get straight to the point.

"Yeah..." I looked at Ranee wrapped in the arms of her boyfriend as they danced, (although she still had one eye on me and my apparent potential new boyfriend), and suddenly felt the strong urge to have his arms around me. "Yeah, let's go."

We walked out to the dance floor and started dancing to a song that I had never heard before, but that everyone else seemed to know. He wrapped his arms around me seductively, and I swayed my hips to the music giving him my make-him-go-weak-at-the-knees smile; the result of 2 years of braces and frustration. He smiled back, and I realized that he had the most beautiful blue eyes, and I stared at them contentedly as we danced. The song changed to a slow song, and we started to dance slower accordingly. He looked straight into my eyes as he started to talk to me.

"You know, you have really pretty green eyes."

"Thanks. I've always thought they were the only good asset I have." I giggled slightly.

"Well, I have to disagree with that, you are a very… "

"What? What were you going to say?"

"Well…I dion't want to make you mad."

"You won't make me mad, trust me, that's not an easy thing for a guy to do."

"Well, I was going to say that you are a very hot girl." He said smiling.

"Wow, I honestly don't think I've ever had a guy say that to me before." _Except Matt, of course._

"Really, I can't imagine why not." He smiled again as he leaned in closer to my face, close enough to kiss my cherry-red lips. A little closer than I had been expecting. _Remember, Jacky, you're still dating Matt…_ I wanted Chris to slow down.

"Well, I guess beca…" He cut me short by placing his soft warm lips onto mine. I hadn't been expecting this at all, I had just thought we would dance and that would be it, but apparently he wanted more. I stood there for a moment, motionless, and realized just how much I was enjoying it. I suddenly remembered something that Ranee had told me, just on the off chance that I wanted some privacy. I broke away from Chris, grabbed his hand in mine, and pulled him towards the door to Ranee's bedroom.

"Well, apparently you wanted some privacy. Is your friend ok with us being in here?" He asked sincerely.

"Yeah, she won't mind." I smiled and sat down on the bed, motioning for him to do the same, trying to look seductive._ Alright, fine._ I thought, giving in to my strong desire to kiss him. _If I'm going to have some fun tonight, I might as well do this the right way, I'll just have a lot of explaining to do to him tomorrow. _He sat down right next to me on the bed, his face was once again only inches away from mine.

"Now… Where were we?" I laughed and placed my lips on his before he could respond, parting my lips, and he allowed my tong into his mouth. He seemed surprised at first, but promptly got over it and started kissing me back. At first my brain wasn't entirely there with him, part of me was with Matt, back in his apartment. _I don't want either of them to get hurt…although he doesn't have to know._ I smiled mentally and put my hands up to Chris's head, entangling my fingers in his dark hair.

Just as I was finally able to clear my mind and forget about Matt completely, Ranee burst into the room, giggling at the sight of us kissing.

"Hey, sorry didn't mean to…Ahem…_ Interrupt _you two, but…" She smiled as she walked over to her dresser drawer and moved some clothes out of the way, revealing to bottles of… Whiskey? What the…Where on earth did she get that? What happened to 'alcohol causes more problems that it 'erases?' Before I could ask any questions she took them both out, grinning like a maniac.

"One for the punch bowl outside." She tucked it in her bra, (did I mention that she's rather…Ahem…_Gifted _in the chest department), and held one out towards me. "And one for you two lover birds."

"Ranee, I…" She didn't let me finish, just walked right out of the room.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

"Look, if you want, we can just put that bottle down and walk out of this room right now. I don't want to make you do anything you don't want to…" He said, sounding like the sincere gentlemen that he was, probably noticing my discomfort. I thought for a moment.

"Look Chris…" He was such a nice guy, and I wasn't really a bad girl, at least when it came to this sort of thing. I sighed. "We're here to have fun, so let's have some fun." I opened the bottle of whiskey, put it to my lips, and threw my head back taking a big swig. I cringed at the burning sensation, then handed it off to Chris, who smiled knowingly.

"Never had whiskey before, have ya."

"Nope." I said laughing. I had had alcohol before, but it had been wine, and that had been some 2 or 3 years earlier. It had also resulted in a bit of a fiasco, which is when me and Ranee had decided that we were totally against alcohol…or so I had thought. _Wow…This is going to be _very _interesting…_

I don't remember much after that, or at least I don't remember much until I woke up the next morning in Ranee's bed, with an awful headache I might add. I clutched my forehead and sat up slowly, looking around the room. Ranee was next to me on the floor, looking as though she had collapsed there, still in her dress. I looked down and noticed that I wasn't in my dress anymore, but that I _was _still in my panties. _Whew, for a moment there I thought I had actually been stupid enough to go _all _the way_…_Hmm. _Suddenly, I remembered one extraordinarily important detail: Chris and I had decided to officially be dating. But where was Chris? Momentarily forgetting about my _other _boyfriend, Matt, I looked around for a minute and noticed that Chris was right next to me on the bed…_Jeez oblivious much. What time is it?_ I looked at the clock:_8:00_ . _Wow no wonder no one's up yet. _I laid back down and closed my eyes, taking note of how good that felt considering my head was pounding. I was almost asleep again when Chris moved slightly. I opened my eyes to see that he too had woken up, and he smiled as he put his arms around me and drew me close to him. I smiled back and closed my eyes, knowing that when I woke up Ranee's mom was going to give the us the whole talk about how she had 'only given us one rule' and ' that we had broken it' and all that good stuff. _Might as well enjoy the peace and quiet now…_ I fell back to sleep in no time.

I woke up again an hour later to the sound of Ranee's voice, groaning about the fact that her head was hurting…_Jeez, she must have fallen asleep much later then me… I wonder what time it was when her mom finally said enough._ Chris was sitting up next to me now, shirtless I might add, and he smiled at me when he realized I was awake.

"Morning, babe, sleep well?"

"Uh, yeah, not bad considering." I said, clutching my head again, noting the fact that it still hurt. Not as bad as before though, and I started thinking a little clearer. _WHOLLY. CRAP. HE'S. MY. BOYFRIEND._ I began to freak out slightly at this realization, and I jumped of the bed abruptly, making Chris jump. _Good thing we didn't go all the way. I have to call Matt… Where the heck is my phone._ I started looking frantically for it, clutching the sheet which I had taken of the bed and wrapped around my practically naked body.

"Babe, what's wrong." Chris said groggily, sounding slightly worried.

"I have to call Matt."

"Matt? You told me you would break up with him."

"Oh really…When did I say that? When I was drop dead drunk with my dress half way off." The events of last night started to flood my brain. My blood began to boil. _How dare he act like this is all no big deal, the jerk._

"Baby…Baby, relax, nothing happened." He still sounded very out of it.

"Nothing? Maybe we didn't go all the way, but this doesn't imply 'nothing' to me…" I motioned to my nearly naked body. "And I am sure as heck not _your _baby. I'm sorry Chris, but I made a stupid mistake by even having that party with Ranee last night."

I stormed out of the room after finding my bag pushed of in the corner of Ranee's room, still wrapped in the sheet, and walked quickly into the bathroom. I promptly proceeded to take out the facial wash cloths that I had so wisely placed in the bag earlier the day before. I turned on the cold water and washed my face, scrubbing every last bit of the gooey makeup off of my face. I then got dressed, picking out a pair of dingy old jeans and a Pink Floyd t-shirt from my bag. I brushed my hair quickly, not really paying too much attention to how it looked. I couldn't seem to keep my thoughts off of Matt. _I can't believe I went further with Chris than I've ever gone with Matt…I can't tell Matt. I simply can't. He would be heartbroken, and I truly do love him. If he broke up with me because of my stupidity, I don't know what I'd do._ I sighed and shook my head. This was not what I had planned for to happen. I walked back out of the bathroom with my bag, feeling a little bit more relaxed and less angry at Matt. After all, I was the one who willingly drank the whiskey. He gave me the choice, he didn't force me. I sighed again as I walked back into Ranee's room. Ranee had taken over the bed, her head was buried in the pillow. Chris was sitting on the floor where she had been sleeping, seemingly deep in thought.

"Hey…I…I'm sorry, okay? I hadn't meant for any of this to happen. I like you as a friend. Ranee was being the idiot that she is and pressuring me to find a guy that was here, not in Gotham, and I guess I momentarily snapped. My stupid mistake."

"Well I'm sorry you feel that way… You seemed perfectly willing last night." There was a tinge of anger in his voice, understandably so, but it was gone in an instant. "Look, this Matt guy doesn't sound very…reliable… and if he ever breaks up with you then." He sighed. "Well, I really like you and if he breaks your heart, I will break his legs. I'll be waiting for you, if you ever change your mind." He stood, and I noticed that he was now fully dressed. He walked out and pushed past Ranee's mother, who had been standing quietly in the door way, listening to our conversation. She looked at me confused for a moment, then shook her head.

"Nah, I don't want to know." She was about to say something else, but was cut off by the telephone ringing. She picked it up.

"Hello…Yeah, you're talking to her…Yeah…What?...OH MY…Is she alright…Yes she's here…Yes I'll tell her, bless her poor heart..." Her voice became very shaky. "Yes I-I-I c-can bring her…Alright…b-b-bye." She looked at me, suddenly pale and sickly looking.

"What's wrong, Mrs. C?"

"Your mom…There's, uh, b-b-been an accident." She was on the verge of tears. She looked at Ranee, who mumbled for us to shut up. "Come with me, sweetie, you're gonna wanna sit down for this." She took me into the kitchen and I told her that I would just stand.

"Sweetie, I, uh…I-I-I don't know h-h-how to tell you th-this." She was really crying now, tears streamed down her face. "Your mom is in the hospital. Someone broke into your house…A-a-apparently they had guns and…"

"AND WHAT!" My heart started racing. "Is my mom okay! What about my dad and my brother Patrick! Are they okay!"

"N-n-no…I-I-I'm so s-s-sorry…"

"What happened!"

"You're f-f-father and b-b-brother are…well, they didn't make it. Some p-people broke into y-y-your house and sh-sh-shot them all and then they s-set the house on f-fire. Your mother's the o-o-only one who made it o-out alive. Your house is gone, it all happened last night. Your m-mother is only b-b-barely alive. She's not e-e-even c-c-concious."

I just stood there, too dumbfounded to speak as the news that I had just been given began to sink in. I collapsed back into chair, shaking like a leaf. _Dad and Patrick…Dead…Our house is…gone…burned down…NOOOO THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING…WAKE UP… WAKE UP…WAKE UP…_ I pleaded with myself, but it was no use. I was fully awake, I was basically homeless, and in not too long I could easily be an orphan. _NO THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING…_

_**There, a very long chapter, but it was either this or two very short chapters, so I decided on this. Jacky probably wind up in Gotham City at some point in the next two chapters, so keep reading.:)**_


	4. Authors Note

_**Sorry, I know everyone hates these, but I think it's necessary in this case. I'm having some computer troubles… The computer I was using to write this story fried, and I was right in the middle of a chapter when it did. Right now I'm using my mother's computer. Don't worry though, I'm planning to right my ideas for this story down, and I'm going to continue it as soon as we get another computer with enough memory to hold the old one's… Ok, I think I said that wrong, but you get the idea. Long story short (too late, I know) it could be awhile before I update this story. Again, sorry… **__****_


	5. Cop Cars and Questions

_**I haven't worked on this one in a while. I switched to third person because it's easier for me to write that way. **_

_**Sorry if it sounds kind of weird with them in the cop car. I'm a good little girl who spends most of her time writing and reading, and I have never done anything that would result in me seeing the inside of a squad car up close, so… **_

* * *

Jacky stared blankly out the window of the police car, thinking about how she should probably feel like crying and wondering why she didn't. She almost never cried. It wasn't really purposeful, she just didn't... Ranee's mother had kindly taken her into Gotham after she got the call from her uncle Joe about the fire, and now she was headed to the GCPD, where he worked. She had wanted to go to the hospital, to see her mother and hear what the doctor had to say for herself, but Joe said he needed to go back and talk to the Commissioner, (Gordon was his name if she remembered right,) and that there was no way he was letting her out of his sight.

It was weird, sitting in a police car, with her Uncle Joe of all people. He wasn't technically her uncle, since they weren't blood related; her mom had been friends with him since long before he even became a police officer, and he had been around for as long as Jacky could remember. He seemed perfectly fine taking her in, and her mother too when she was well enough, but Jacky felt kind of awkward around him and had always refused to actually call him her uncle. The feeling seemed kind of mutual; he wasn't married and didn't have kids, and he never dealt with them unless he was arresting them for some reason. He always seemed wary of Jacky, too. They hadn't said a word to each other since they got into the car.

"You, uh, you ok back there kid?" He finally broke the silence, glancing at her over his shoulder.

"I'm alright." She continued to stare out the window. He was silent for a moment, apparently trying to come up with something to say.

"Right. Well… I know you probably don't want to come in with me, but it won't take too long I don't think."

"He's not going to want to talk to me, is he? That commissioner guy, I mean." Jacky asked quietly.

"He may. I don't know."

"I already told you. I wasn't home. I don't know what happened." Her voice got a little louder.

"I know. But you have to understand; even the littlest thing can be helpful. If you want to know who…" He trailed off.

"Of course I want to know; I want them to catch the guys that did it. But they burned down our house, right? No evidence. We lose anyways. End of story." She was beginning to get angry and her voice got even louder as she turned from the window to glare at him. She didn't want to talk about it, period.

"No, not end of story. It doesn't work that way. I'm sorry, but if he wants to ask you some questions, then you'll just have to deal with it."

"Don't I get a say in it?"

"No."

"But isn't that like violating my rights or something like that?"

"You do realize who you're talking to right?" There was a semi-warning tone to his voice. She swore at him under her breath and went back to staring out the window.

* * *

They made it to the station and went inside. Jacky sat in the office area, staring blankly at the floor in the same way she'd been staring blankly out the window, and her Uncle went into Gordon's office. Fortunately for her, there weren't many people in the building at the moment, and the ones that were seemed busy themselves, so she was virtually alone until her uncle and the commissioner both came out ten minutes later. Her uncle shot her a warning look as Gordon approached her.

"Why don't we go into my office?" Jacky glanced at her uncle, glaring at him really, but Gordon seemed to mistake it for something else. "He can come in too if you want."

"No, that's fine." She replied a little too quickly and stood up. Gordon nodded and she followed him. She made sure to be the one closest to the door, standing in front of him with her arms crossed tightly in front of her.

"You're uncle…"

"He's not my uncle." She snapped at him. He ignored it and kept going.

"…Said that you weren't home last night." It seemed half a question. She nodded, then turned her gaze on the floor between them, and he patiently kept going. "When did you leave?"

"Um, at about two I think."

"Ok, and where did you go?"

"I, uh, went to my friend's house. For a party." Jacky's voice got quieter; her arms loosened themselves a little.

"Ah, I see." Gordon was silent for a moment, no doubt bracing himself for the kind of response he would possibly get to his next question. This wasn't the first time he'd dealt with kids her age. "I'm afraid, then, my next question has to be if you were allowed to go out to this party or not?" Her head shot up, a fire suddenly blazing in her eyes.

"Does that seriously have anything to do with my family getting shot?"

"Well, yes and no." His voice remained calm, and his expression didn't change. It was rather annoying; to Jacky anyways.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It might mean…" He hesitated again. Jacky was getting really mad now. What was it he didn't want to tell her? He didn't finish his sentence, opting instead to start a new one. "How, exactly, did you get out of the house? Sneak out, I mean."

"I didn't say I snuck out. I just left, through the back door. They were sleeping at the time." She lied, backing towards the door now. She was done answering questions. Of course, Gordon noticed what she was doing right away; he seemed somewhat amused.

"Look, you got no reason to run. If you say you just left, then that's fine. I believe you."

"Alright, fine then." She stopped. "Can I go now? I just want to get away for a while…" She trailed off and he sighed sympathetically, walking past her to the door.

"Yeah, alright, you can go." She brushed past him, and her uncle, heading out towards his car.

* * *

_**I know it's super short, but I want to get some reviews before I keep going. It's been over a year since I wrote the last three chapters, and I've gotten better at writing since then, so tell me what you think please. **_


	6. It's Him!

"Jacky!" Joe looked slightly alarmed when Jacky came stalking out of Gordon's office. He grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

"What? Can't we just go to the hospital? Or home, wherever that is? Please, I want to see my mom…" Again, she was sure she should feel like crying. But she didn't. She did feel like punching someone, though. Hard.

"Alright, alright. We'll go back to my apartment. Just… cool it for a minute, ok?" He went back and talked to Gordon again, who told him to make sure Jacky was some-what settled before he even thought about coming back in for duty. Jacky was once again staring at nothing in particular when he came back. "You ready kid?"

She didn't say anything, just nodded and then followed him out of the building…

* * *

"But why can't we go to the hospital?"

"Because it would only make things worse. She's not in good shape at all, Jacky, she's not even conscious. You don't need to see her like that. You'll just have to wait until she's…"

"What, healed?" She cut him off. "That could take weeks. Or months, even, if she ever fully recovers. Did I ever mention I want to be a doctor? I kind of know what I'm talking about."

"I wasn't going to say 'healed'. Will you let me finish? I was going to say you'll wait until she's at least conscious. That may not take as long as you think."

"Hm. Even that could take weeks…"

"Well, if it takes more than a week, then I'll let you go see her." She didn't respond, so he went on, softening his voice as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, I'm sorry, alright kid? I just don't want you put under any more stress or anything like that." He glanced at the clock; it was nine. "You hungry? You should probably eat something…"

"No, I'm fine. I really just want to go to bed."

"Alright, well, I have another room here." He pointed down a small hallway leading away from the small living room they were in. "It's not very big, but at least you'll have some privacy, and there is a bed in there. We'll have to go and buy you some things tomorrow obviously, but…"

"I'll be fine for tonight." They lapsed into an awkward silence, neither of them quite sure of what else to say. Jacky finally mumbled a 'goodnight' and slowly walked down the hallway and into the bedroom she'd be staying in. She didn't even think to turn on a light, since there was a window on the far side of the room and the street lights provided some light. She lay down on the bed, curling herself up into a ball.

It was then that the tears finally came and she silently cried herself to sleep…

* * *

She awoke some three hours later at twelve to the strangest feeling she'd ever had; like she was in terrible danger somehow, but she didn't know how or why. She looked around for a light and turned on a lamp sitting on a small table next to the bed. She continued to look around, half expecting someone to jump out at her. But no one did. The room was empty save for her. She stared blankly at the wall in front of her for a moment, wondering just what was going on.

Then she heard what sounded like gun shots somewhere pretty far off, and a sense of mild panic began to set in. She had to remind herself of where she was; her uncle didn't live in the best part of town, so stuff like that was probably normal. The safest thing to do would probably be to just go back to sleep.

But she wasn't tired anymore, she was curious. Those gunshots hadn't been very loud and must have been pretty far away, so what was it that had woke her up? Sliding silently out of the bed, she padded slowly across the room to the window and looked down at the street, only two floors below her. She didn't see anything or anyone at first. Few people were brave enough to venture out on their own after dark in Gotham on a street like this one. But wait… she saw something move across the street, come out from around a corner. She watched intently, unable to look away, as the figure strode calmly and silently down the street. It looked like a man wearing a trench coat.

He passed under a street light and paused for some unknown reason, and Jacky could see that his coat was a dark purplish color. She swore he was looking straight at her now, and she could see a pale face with dark eyes and bright red lips, smiling wide… She cocked her head to the side and stared right back for a few seconds. Then a dark shadow seemed to pass through the alley behind the figure and the person twirled around quickly, his trench coat flying up behind him. She didn't wait to see what happened next, just padded back over to the bed and slid under the covers. She was asleep almost immediately.

* * *

The next week passed by in a total blur for Jacky. She pleaded insistently with her uncle to let her see her mom, but he still refused, so she pretty much just stayed in his apartment doing whatever she could find to do. It wasn't until Wednesday the next week that Joe decided to bring up the subject of school.

"You know you're, uh, you're going to have to go back to school at some point kid."

"School? Uuuh…"

"I know, it's not something you even want to think about. But you gotta go back."

"But I'll have to go to Gotham High. I don't even know anyone around here, except for my boyfriend."

"At least you'll know one person, then."

"He's twenty, Joe. Not in school." She rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh. Your parents let you date a twenty year old?"

"Dad does, yeah. He says I'm almost eighteen, so it's not like the age difference is that huge and..." She trailed off, her voice much quieter when she continued. "At least, he used to."

"Oh. Sorry kid, wasn't thinking when I said that."

"It's fine. You're, uh, right anyways. Can't just not go back to school. Is there any way I can just finish up at my old school?"

"I could arrange for you to still go there, but how would you get there? That's at least a two hour ride. You'd have to be ready to leave by five thirty in the morning."

"I could try to make it happen, I mean there has to be a way…"

"No. I'm sorry. You're going to have to go to Gotham high. It won't be for that long, just a few months right? You're about half way through the year already. I already took care of it; you start on Monday next week." His cell phone rang before she could respond.

"Yeah, Joe Moretti here… oh she's awake? That's good right?..." I looked up at him, and he gave me a small smile. "She was asking for who?... Oh, great!... yeah, I'm on my way now." He grabbed his keys of the kitchen counter as he hung up the phone.

"Mom's awake? Really?"

"Yeah, really." He nodded. She sat and stared at him in disbelief. He seemed annoyed. "Well come on kid. Put your shoes on, grab your coat. She's asking for you, and we both know that when Vicky Wayne asks for something, it's best to give it to her quick."

* * *

"J-Jacky?" Jacky heard her mom's voice as she walked slowly into the room. "Oh, thank heavens. They told me you were alright, but…" She trailed off, her voice weak and a little shaky. Jacky couldn't think of anything to say at first and so just stood there staring, taking in her mother's battered appearance. She was hooked up to an IV and a few other bags, containing what Jacky assumed to be pain killers of some kind. It didn't look like she was strong enough to move much; the pillows around her seemed to be very carefully situated, propping her up slightly so she wasn't completely laying down. Her burns weren't quite as bad as Jacky had thought they would be, which Jacky guessed was good, but she also looked like she'd been beaten. The bullet's she had taken were apparently to the chest, near her shoulder, because there was one big bandage covering her right shoulder and part of her arm. It was blotched lightly with red.

"Y-you had to see it for yourself, right?" Jacky's voice was quiet as she came to stand at the end of the bed. "I know the feeling." They were silent for a moment, and the only sound in the room was the incessant beeping of a heart monitor.

"H-how are you doing? I mean…" It was becoming increasingly apparent that Mrs. Wayne was more interested in how her daughter was doing than in anything else. Jacky couldn't hold back an eye-roll.

"I'm alright, mom. I'm not the one in a hospital bed." Jacky responded, walking over to stand next to her mother instead of in front of her.

"I know. It's just that when they said you weren't even in the house at the time, I kind of panicked."

"You panic too easily. I'm fine. More worried about you, actually. The doc said it's weird for someone in your, uh, condition to wake up so quickly."

"I know. He explained that to me too. I always was the strange one in the family…" She chuckled slightly, and it was strangely startling to Jacky.

"Yes, well, uh…" She cleared her throat. "Look, there is something I wanted to say specifically."

"Alright. Go on."

"I'm sorry. That I wasn't there, I mean."

"Sorry?" Her mother interrupted her quickly. "Why would you be sorry for that?"

"Because you had grounded me, I was supposed to be home." Jacky paused, blinking back guilty tears. "And I wasn't and now I feel like I should be in here with you or something so… I'm just, really sorry."

"No, honey, please. Don't think like that." She very slowly moved her hand to rest on Jacky's, which was on the railing of the hospital bed. "He came from upstairs, we had no warning. Y-your father and brother… they were gone. Just like that. And I couldn't do anything to stop it." She looked Jacky in the eye. "I am glad you were not there, ok?"

"O-ok." Jacky's voice was the shaky one now as she nodded her head. "I, uh, I'm going to go ask the nurse something. I'll be back in a minute." She gently took her hand back, then walked out of the room quickly, taking in deep breaths as she blinked back tears. She refused to cry. The killers had come from upstairs… her window. The one she had left open when she snuck out. If they'd broken a window, knocked down a door, they would have tripped the houses alarm. Her parents could have had a chance, her dad and brother probably would have lived. But they hadn't had to do any of that. Because her window had been open. So they hadn't had a chance.

No, she wouldn't cry. She had no right to be upset, not when it was all her fault.

* * *

She didn't go back into her mother's room. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to hold back and definitely didn't want to break down in front of her mother. So she walked down the hallway and back into the waiting room instead. Her uncle wasn't there, so she took a seat, assuming he was off talking to the doctor or a nurse about something. Feeling like she still wanted to cry, she picked up a newspaper sitting on a table next to her, thinking she'd use it to take her mind off of things.

It worked a little too well. She gasped and forgot all about her mother when she saw what was on the front page. The headline read '**Another Bank Robbery: Possibly A Copy Cat?'**, but it was the picture that went with it that caught her attention. It was a colored picture of who they thought had done it.

It was a man wearing a purple trench coat with a face painted white with black eyes and a red Glasgow smile. The same face she'd seen so clearly on her first night in Gotham when she had thought she'd been dreaming….

**REVEIW please.**


	7. Bruce Wayne

The face staring back at Jacky from the newspaper in front of her really gave her the creeps. She looked down at the description below the picture, mumbling to herself.

"The Joker. He's been all over the news…" She looked up suddenly when she heard someone come through the hospital's main doors behind her. The room had been so empty and pin drop quiet until that moment that the person coming in startled her and she dropped the news paper. She bent down to get it, and when she came back up there was a man dressed in a fine suit and coat talking to the receptionist at the desk. Jacky was just close enough to eavesdrop without being noticed, so she did, being curious as to just who this man was.

"Um, excuse me." The woman at the desk looked up and seemed startled.

"Oh, uh, y-yes?"

"I'm looking for someone, a possible family member, and I think she was admitted here a week ago. Could you find out if I'm right?" The woman nodded. Why did she look so nervous?

"Of course Mr. Wayne. What's the patient's name?" Wayne…as in Bruce Wayne? Oh boy.

"Victoria Wayne."

The woman nodded and typed something in to the computer in front of her. "Uh, yes, there was a Victoria Wayne admitted here about a week ago." He nodded, as if he knew she would say that.

"Can I see her?"

"Well…"

"Please. It would mean a lot…" He trailed off, and the way the receptionist half smiled made Jacky think he was mildly flirting with her. Wouldn't be surprising, she'd heard his name more than once too. But why did he want to see her mother? Wayne was her mother's married name; her father had been an orphan with no family at all. At least, as far as she knew.

"I wish I could just say yes, believe me Mr. Wayne. But she's in intensive care… there are rules regarding confidentiality. I'm not even allowed to say anything more."

"Well, that's really too bad. She may be the closest thing to family I have left." Jacky snorted quietly. It was a nice sob story, she had to admit.

"I understand that Mr. Wayne –"

"Bruce, please." He sounded like he was smiling now.

"Bruce then," she smiled back, "But I really can't."

"Well, what would I have to do? In order to see her, I mean. I hate to ask, but…" Was he pouting? Jacky nearly laughed out loud.

"I'm sorry. I can't let anyone but known family members visit her. Unless you have the consent of-"

"I'll give him permission." Jacky cut her off, standing suddenly. The woman gave her a strange look. "I'm her daughter." The man turned around upon hearing that.

"You're…her daughter?"

"Yeah. Don't know where my uncle Joe went, but… why do you want to see my mom?" He studied her with piercing blue eyes.

"Well, as I'm sure you already heard me explain, I have good reason to believe Joseph Wayne was my brother."

"Hm. Not likely. My dad never mentioned you. And you said you only thought she was a relative."

"I'm almost certain of it." He glanced at the receptionist. "Look, I really just want to talk to her. Is that a crime?" The receptionist shrugged apologetically, and Jacky rolled her eyes.

"Guess not. She's not much for talking at this point though. Was in a coma for the past week." She crossed her arms.

"She was?" He seemed genuinely startled at this. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that."

"Uh, hello, intensive care. Duh." Jacky rolled her eyes and uncrossed her arms, gesturing for him to follow her as she headed back towards her moms room.

* * *

"Jacky? I was wondering where you went. Are you alright?" Vicky Wayne seemed excited when her daughter reentered the room. At least, as excited as she could seem with how weak she looked. Bruce stopped in the door way, not wanting to alarm her by just walking right in.

"Yeah. Sorry. I, uh, needed a moment I guess…" He heard the young girl, Jacky, half mumble in response before turning to him. "Uh, mom, this is Bruce Wayne. But you probably already knew that… he says he thinks dad was his brother or something."

"Oh. Hello Mr. Wayne." Jacky's mother didn't seem even half as surprised as one would have expected her to be. But then, he'd been prepared for just about anything. "You can come in, I certainly don't mind."

"Thank you, miss." He walked further into the room, getting a better look at her. One thing he already knew for sure, Jacky was definitely this woman's daughter. The resemblance was striking. "I'm sorry for being so abrupt about this."

"No, it's alright." She cut him off quickly. "I knew it would happen eventually."

"You did?" Now that was really surprising. "I'd never even heard the name Joseph Wayne until two weeks ago. The police came to me, said I was, uh, in their records."

"Of course you are. I'm surprised it's taken this long… but then that's not your fault."

"They said… that he was my brother." He tried not to sound as anxious as he was. As incredibly sad as it was that Joseph and Patrick Wayne were now dead, Bruce still couldn't help but want to know more about the man that was apparently his brother. And, on the flip side of that, Batman couldn't help but be suspicious. The circumstances of the murders were highly unusual. People in suburban towns were rarely killed by thieves like that. Usually, if the supposed thieves were smart, they waited until after the residence left the house. And then with the widow and daughter left with no choice but to move to the city… and then there was the question of why they bothered to burn down the house. He figured there couldn't be any harm in looking into it, or at least trying.

"Yes, he was."

"Did he know –"

"Who you are?" She cut him off again. "Yes. He found out a few years back…"

"Oh. I didn't know that."

"Hey now, just wait a minute." Jacky piped up. "I'm sorry, but you can't possibly be serious mom. Dad knew? He knew that he had family left? Why the hell didn't he say anything?"

"Jacky!" Her mother's voice grew a little stronger as she reprimanded her daughter. "Watch your mouth!"

Bruce held back a chuckled when Jacky blushed and mumbled back.

"Sorry mom. But seriously, why didn't he?"

"Well, he…" Bruce could sense her hesitation as she looked toward him. "He didn't like what he'd heard and read about you, to be honest. He didn't want to put us all in the spot light. He also feared it would cause you more trouble than we were worth."

"Oh. I see." Bruce suddenly felt irritated with himself. He'd set himself up so convincingly as a party boy, it made it nearly impossible to earn any real persons trust. Normally this didn't bother him, as he rarely trusted anyone else anyways, but this time, it seemed, it had cost him the chance to know his older brother. She beckoned for him to come closer and he slowly crossed the room to stand beside her.

"Please, don't be upset by it. Joseph was hard-headed, stubborn. He wasn't willing to think beyond what little he knew about you. I told him we'd deal with the press and things like that if we had to, that it would be worth it. I'm sure Patrick and Jacky would have said the same if he'd allowed me to tell them. But he didn't want to listen to me." Bruce could see that she was close to tears, thinking about her lost husband and son. Jacky looked up at him and glared, and he could tell what she was probably thinking; '_Look what you've done now. You had no right…'_ He backed up a few steps.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking when I came here. I didn't mean to upset you." He took out a card and laid it on a table next to the hospital bed. "Call me when you're ready, or if you need anything. It's my cell number. You'll get me directly." Jacky didn't respond, just continued to glare. Mrs. Wayne managed with a small smile and a 'thank you, I will.' He walked quietly out of the room and down the hall, through the doors, past the front desk where he stopped briefly to give the receptionist a semi-flirtatious smile and a curt thank you for her help. And all the while he cursed himself internally for being so cold. He should've known better than to barge in like that so soon…

* * *

Jacky already didn't like him. It wasn't that he'd done anything wrong, really. He had a right to know about his own brother. But there was just something about him… the way he acted, it bothered her. He'd been every bit the manipulative playboy when talking to the receptionist, but when she'd taken him to her mom he was an entirely different person, all subdued and well mannered and 'oh, I didn't mean to upset you.' The way he'd studied her, too, with those eyes… eyes she was sure she'd never forget.

"Jacky? Jacky? Jacqueline!" Jacky jumped as she realized her mother was calling her.

"What?"

"Are you alright? You've been staring off into space like that ever since Mr. Wayne left."

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking." Jacky stood from the couch where she'd been sitting, walking closer to her mother.

"About Mr. Wayne perhaps?"

"What? No, uh, not like that if that's what you mean. Not even close."

"Oh? Well, then what are you thinking about."

"He bothered me."

"Why? I thought he was very kind." Her mother smiled slightly.

"He was. But that's what bothers me. You should've seen how he acted with the receptionist out front…"

"Not everyone acts a certain way all the time. I'm sure even supposed playboys have emotions." Her mother's tone was scolding.

"Well, yes, but… I don't know, he just bothered me. Not just how he acted, but the way he looked at me too."

"The way he..looked at you?"

"Just forget it."

"Not, if it bothered you, Jacky-"

"Seriously, mom." Jacky took her mother's hand in her own gently. "It's nothing, ok?"

"Ok, ok…"

* * *

_**I promise things will get more interesting in the next chapter. (: Review!**_


	8. Med School and Maybe Mobsters

Several rather uneventful weeks past, and Jacky fell into a routine that was comfortable enough. She didn't talk to anyone much in school, keeping to herself and staying busy. She got a job working at a gas station just down the street from her Uncle Joe's apartment, and spent whatever free time she could with her boyfriend Matt.

Her mother did wind up calling Bruce Wayne back, and he was visiting the hospital now almost as frequently as Jacky. She still wasn't sure about him, but he was growing on her, and it seemed the feeling was mutual. He'd strike up a conversation with her every now and then, saying they needed to get acquainted somehow, because it appeared he was wasn't going anywhere. She played along for her mother's sake.

She noticed several rather interesting things about him that one would not notice at first glance during these talks. For one thing, he didn't act like an air headed party boy. If Jacky were to be honest, actually, he seemed pretty smart. And he seemed very interested in her and what she was doing with her life. Not in a creepy way, but in a genuine sort of way. The first time he ever hinted at caring was when they had found each other both arriving at the hospital at the same time, the day her mother was moved from intensive care into a normal room, and they were told to wait a moment in the waiting room.

"So…" He glanced at her as she did her homework, sitting next to him. "She's not in intensive care anymore. That's a good sign."

"Yeah, definitely. I'm hoping she won't have to be in here much longer." Jacky mumbled in response, not looking up from her homework.

"She probably won't. I'm sure your uncle will be happy to have her out too." He looked to her when she didn't respond, engrossed in whatever she was working on. "I don't want to distract you, but what are you working on?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, it's my anatomy home work."

"Anatomy; now there's an interesting class."

"Yep. It's tough though. I didn't do so well on my last test; trying to study more this time." She looked up and gave him a small smile.

"Oh, I see. What are you looking at now?"

"Digestive system. It's gross, but interesting. So many different organs involved." Jacky looked back down at her book, flipping pages as if looking for something.

"You're brave." He laughed. "I would have never taken a class like that. Too much studying involved." Bruce studied her carefully now.

"It is a lot of studying, but it's just so fascinating. Like how the stomach…" If his intent was to get her talking, he certainly had succeeded. She went on to explain the entire digestive system as well as its functions in perfect detail, talking for ten minutes straight.

"You really know your stuff, don't you?"

"I hope so. I plan to become a doctor someday." She smiled again. That was the most he'd seen her do that since he'd met her.

"That's great! It's not easy getting through medical school, but you're obviously a very smart girl. I'm sure you could do it."

"I hope I can. Daddy really wanted me to…" Her smile faded and she looked back down to her book. "The only problem is money…"

"Oh, money, is that all?" His tone turned sarcastic and she looked back up at him sharply.

"Hey, I'm not like you pretty boy, we don't have money growing on trees."

"Relax, Jacky, I know that. What I'm saying is that you don't have to worry about it." His face was completely serious.

"What? Are you saying _you're_ going to pay thousands of dollars just to put some girl you barely know through college?"

"I'm saying I'd be glad to send you to whatever college you want to go to as long as you're.. reasonably responsible and keep up your grades."

"Hm, responsible. You're one to talk."

"Weell." He smiled now. "I did say _reasonably_. For your mother's sake, of course."

"Oh, of course." She smiled back, rolling her eyes. The nurse walked in a few seconds later.

"Jacky Wayne? Your mother is waiting for you, dear…"

* * *

"Matt! Where have you been, you haven't called in days!" Jacky smiled brightly as her boyfriend picked her up and spun her around, then placed a kiss on her lips.

"I know, I'm so sorry! Phone was turned off, took me a while before I could afford minutes. I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too." He set her back down and they began walking along the street towards his apartment.

"Hey, I was thinking the other day, you know with you visiting your mom and all.. I never did tell you I was sorry…" He trailed off as she stopped briefly to kiss him this time.

"Don't. I've had so many I'm sorry's, from so many different people, I just want to move on already. I already told you."

"Ok, ok, fair enough, moving on. Let's go out." He smiled again and they kept walking.

"Out? That sounds great! Where?"

"Wherever you'd like to go! I got a better job, plenty of money too. And I plan to give you, my queen, the royal treatment to celebrate. How about we go down town, where all the rich people go?" He seemed so excited, Jacky couldn't help but catch on to it.

"That would be amazing, but I don't even have clothes nice enough to wear to any of those places." She laughed.

"So? You can put on the nicest thing you got, they won't care as long as I got money."

"I don't have any dresses. How much money are we talking about here? Where did this new job come from? You're being awfully shady." Her smile had faded slightly by now, darkened by suspicion.

"Oh, uh, friend of mine's got me doing odd jobs for him. Whatever he needs help with, heavy lifting." He turned serious as well.

"Heavy..lifting?"

"Yeah, uh, just whatever he needs help with, like I said." He shoved his hands into his pockets, a gesture that Jacky caught right away. He only ever did that when he was nervous and trying to keep his cool. They stopped again and she studied him closely for a moment, and if she would have been able to see herself at that moment, she would have realized she looked an awful lot like her Uncle Bruce.

"Right. Well, ok. I'll leave it alone for now, but if I find out from Joe that you're in some kind of trouble, Matt…"

"Don't worry, jeez babe. Why do you care all of a sudden? Money's money, doesn't matter how I got it, right?" He started walking again, but she pulled him back angrily.

"Yeah, sure. You know, I used to think that too until my dad was killed for, what was it again? _Money_? Killed by _robbers_." She crossed her arms, the look in her eyes a mixture of hurt and rage. He stared at her for a minute, slightly shocked.

"I'm.. sorry, Jacky, really. I wasn't thinking when I said that…" He tried to apologize.

"No, you sure as hell weren't." Jacky's voice held more hurt than anger this time. She closed her eyes, taking deep breaths, trying to get control of herself.

"Hey…" He pulled her forward and into his arms, holding her. "I didn't mean it the way it sounded. Really." He pulled back to look her in the eyes. "I'm sorry."

"It's..alright…" She buried her face in his chest. "I'm sorry too, I don't know what's wrong with me here lately. I've been doing that a lot, snapping at people for stupid stuff. It's really not you."

"It's understandable, I guess… Look, I don't want to worry you. I'll admit some of the stuff this guy does isn't exactly _legal_, but I promise you I would never kill anyone, never. And definitely not like that…"

She looked up at him and nodded after a moment's hesitation, then looked around and blushed, stepping away from him.

"We're getting some weird looks." She crossed her arms, and he looked her up and down closely.

"You look.. smaller somehow. Have you lost weight?" He sounded worried now.

"No. Well, maybe. Haven't been very hungry here lately… that and I'm walking more now than I used to, you know, just to get places." She uncrossed her arms and shrugged, trying to brush it off as nothing.

"Well, that can't be exactly good. Did you eat lunch yet? We can go get something…"

"No, really, I'm alright. Besides, you just said we're going out tonight, remember?" She started walking again, and he followed.

"Well, yeah, but it'll be a few hours until then. Oh, yeah! I have a surprise for you, by the way."

"A surprise? Oh boy, now I'm scared."

"No reason to be, I promise." He smiled at her. "Just come on."

They walked the rest of the way to his apartment, and he led her in to sit on a small couch in the middle of the front room, telling her he'd be back in a minute.

"You know I don't like waiting." She called after him. "I mean, really Matt?"

"Believe me, this would be worth the wait." He came back holding a large white box, the kind you'd put clothes in as a gift, and handed it to her. She looked up at him as if to say something, but he stopped her quickly. "No question, just open it."

"Fine, fine." She looked back down and slowly opened the box, peering into it through the half opened lid, then glancing up at him. "I see red and sparkles. What did you do?"

"Take it out and see, jeez babe." He sat down on the couch next to her, leaning forward, arms wresting on his knees.

She pulled off the lid completely, then hesitated a moment before pulling out a beautiful red dress, styled something like a 20's flapper dress. It was fitted and fringed all around, with a band of black sequins across the low cut neckline. Looking back down into the box, she saw a pair of shoes, also red, high healed with platforms in front and a rounded toe. There was also a pair of red gloves to match.

"Wow. Just wow. This is so pretty." She smiled a little, then turned to him. "How..where.. I mean, this must have cost a fortune."

"I told you, don't ask questions. It looked like something you'd wear, so I got it. You really like it?"

"Yeah, I love it! I'd have to be extremely brave to walk out in it though." She laughed now. "I'm curious, now. Where are we going tonight? Did you buy me this just so I could wear it?"

"Yes, I did. And that's another surprise."

"Oh, figures. How exactly did you pay for this? You can't suddenly be making _that_ much."

"I'm not, but the guy I'm working for heard me talking about you. He's married, thought it was sweet that I had a girl, said he'd pay for me to take you out." He didn't look at her, pretending to admire the dress. "I only bought the dress."

"Who is this guy, seriously? You're not like, connected to the mob now are you?" She tried to catch his gaze, suddenly looking deadly serious. He didn't answer. Instead, he stood up and took the dress from her, packing it back in the box.

"We'd better get you home, so you can get ready." He headed for the door. She rolled her eyes and followed him, not saying anything else, only because a night out sounded good and she didn't want to ruin it. She could always ask questions later, it wasn't worth it to bug him about it now. At least, that's what she told herself.

* * *

"Oh, no, absolutely not!" Joe shook his head when Jacky walked out of her room in his apartment. She was wearing the dress, which was shorter than she'd thought it would be and showed off more cleavage, and the heals, and the gloves. She'd put on makeup, light reddish eye shadow with eyeliner and bright red lipstick, like at her birthday party. She'd also pinned her hair up, curling a few strands that hung down and rested on her shoulders. She looked like a grown woman, and at 17 years old this shouldn't have been too surprising, as she certainly wasn't a little girl any more. Apparently, her 'uncle' _was _surprised though.

"What do you mean? I love it, it looks so sophisticated."

"Yeah, that's the problem. It's too grown up for a 17 year old."

"Well, too bad. You're not my dad."

"I…" He trailed off, looking hurt.

"Exactly. So, I'm going now, Matt's waiting."

"Well, I..you.. hmph. I'm just worried, that's all. Don't want you getting hurt or nothing." His voice softened as he spoke. "I know I'm not your dad, but…" He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, just, don't worry." Jacky's voice softened too. She hadn't known he'd cared, really. "I'll be home before ten, I promise." He still looked unhappy. She crossed the room and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Really, Uncle Joe. I'll be fine."

"Well, fine." He relented, probably softened by the fact that Jacky called him uncle. "Just, please, be careful. Stay with your boyfriend, don't walk the streets, especially after you get out of the restaurant." He took out some money and handed it to her. "Just to be sure you can get a cab. And you'd better be home before ten. If you come back later, I might just come looking for you, and this boy of yours will be dog meat." A hint of amusement flashed in his eyes as he said this.

She rolled her eyes and nodded, slipping on her coat before heading for the door.

"Oh, and Jacky."

She turned back to him.

"Have fun." He smiled now. It was odd, coming from him, but it was nice to know he cared.

"Thanks Uncle Joe." She smiled back, and on that note, she walked out…

* * *

_**Joker's going to make an appearance in the next chapter, I promise. I'll try to be quick about writing it. **_

_**Review please. (:**_


	9. Batsy and the Joker

_**Disclaimer, because I don't think I've done this in a few chapters: Obviously, I don't own the Batman movies.**_

_**So, the Joker actually does make a brief appearance in this one, as promised. I hope I didn't do too much of a horrible job writing him. He'll definitely wind up being OOC in this fic. **_

* * *

"Bruce?" Jacky blurted out her uncle's name as she saw him walk towards her and Matt. They had just been served their dinners and Jacky was feeling not quite so nervous in the overly fancy restaurant when she saw him walk through the door. "W-what are you doing here?"

Bruce was just as surprised to see her but, of course, didn't miss a beat as he walked towards her calmly.

"Cabin fever. Haven't been out in a few days. Thought," he looked at the girl he had wrapped in his arm and apparently couldn't remember her name, "uh, my girl here could use a night out too."

Said girl, a tall blond wearing a small sequined black dress and stilettoes, didn't seem to care that her date obviously couldn't even remember her name as she giggled softly and sounded like an air head.

"Right." Jacky rolled her eyes and looked to Matt, who was looking warily up at Bruce and hadn't said a word yet. "Do you have a name, blond-y? Pretty boy here obviously has memory problems."

"Becky." The woman replied.

"Ah, well, nice to meet you Becky. I'm Jacky. Not that it matters, because there's no way you'll be around long enough for me to see you again, even though I can't seem to get my wonderful uncle here to go away." Jacky's voice was too sweet and dripping with sarcasm.

The woman's eyes narrowed and she suddenly looked much less oblivious.

"Oh, I see. This is the girl you've been talking about, your charming niece. Great girl, Bruce, really."

"She's not that bad if you get to really talk to her."

"Which you won't, because me and Matt are having a wonderful time. Alone." Jacky emphasized the word 'alone', hoping Bruce would take the hint.

He didn't.

"Well, the more the merrier, right?" He gestured towards a waiter who promptly began situating a table next to Jacky and Matt's. Matt looked like he wanted to say something now, but kept his mouth shut.

"What are you doing?" Jacky tried unsuccessfully to hide her frustration.

"Keeping an eye on my niece." He smiled as he sat down next to her.

"Oh, sure. So, where did you pick blond-y up, anyways? I mean, if you haven't been out for a few days."

"Becky. My name's Becky. And actually I'm his personal assistant. I've been around for more than a year now." Becky was sitting across from Bruce, hands folded neatly in her lap in front of her. "He insists upon keeping up his play boy appearance, and I go along with it to keep him happy. I'm not a bimbo, thank you very much."

"Oh. Sorry. Didn't know any of that." Jacky apologized half-heartedly.

"Well, now you do. So, are you going to tell me about your date? Doesn't say much, does he." Bruce fixed his gaze on Matt, who was eating his food silently.

Jacky sighed.

"Matt, this is my Uncle Bruce obviously. Bruce, this is Matt, my boyfriend. We've been dating for a year now."

Matt didn't make a move to properly introduce himself, so Jacky nudged his leg under the table with her red heel. He gave her a look, but stood up and reached over to shake Bruce's hand.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Wayne."

Bruce seemed satisfied enough by Matt's firm handshake. They started talking and Jacky's attention began to wander. How ridiculous this all seemed. She hated rich people. Waltzing around in fancy suites and even fancier dresses while people like her father were killed for the very thing they had too much of. Why had she let Matt take her here? She should've known it would be a bad idea. She stared down at her plate of food without really noticing it was there and didn't hear it the first few times her name was called.

"Jacky!" Matt reached across the table and grabbed her hand. "Are you alright?"

"What?" She squeezed his hand. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just spacing out. Been doing that a lot lately." She forced a smile, but he didn't seem to be buying it. Hoping that Matt would stop worrying a little if she didn't seem so out of it, she picked up her fork and made as if to finally start eating.

A burst of gun fire sounded from the entrance to the restaurant, quickly accompanied by a chorus of startled screams. Jacky had precious few seconds to process what was happening before all hell broke loose and suddenly all those annoying, fancy, rich people she'd been thinking about earlier were barreling toward the back of the restaurant where she and Matt were, instinctively trying to get away from the guns and whoever was controlling them.

She didn't move, feeling oddly more curious than afraid, and she noticed fleetingly that her uncle Bruce also wasn't running away like the rest had. Matt grabbed her arm firmly and practically dragged her back with him, hissing in her ear, asking if she was nuts and telling her there was apparently a back entrance that everyone was trying to get out of. She ran after him as fast as she could, stumbling a little in her killer red high heels. The thought entered her mind that perhaps she should try kicking the killer red high heels off and now she could hear a creepy voice coming from the same direction the gun shots had been heard from. Another thought crossed her mind that it was ironic that there was somebody with a gun some twenty feet away from her and she was thinking about taking off a pair of red killer high heels and an irrational little chuckle escaped her lips at the irrational thought that she could use a heel as a weapon.

They'd stopped for some reason; Jacky had no clue why, she was just doing what Matt told her to. He glanced rigidly at her when she chuckled. She stared straight ahead, not really seeing the figure coming towards her, trying to figure out how she could've responded so inappropriately to such a horrible thought. And then the figure was right in front of her with something shiny in his hand and Matt was backing away slowly, looking simultaneously enraged and terrified. She blinked a few times and finally her mind caught up with what was going on and she realized first that the shiny something in the figures hand was a knife, a switch blade if she was correct, and weren't those illegal or something? Well, obviously that wouldn't matter to a criminal willing to gun down a restaurant and she slowly looked up and took in what the person was wearing, a green vest and purple trench coat and his face, oh his face, with the white and red and black grease paint and was it just her or was his hair painted green too? And all this really happened in mere seconds, though it seemed to take so much longer, and when her mind finally caught up with her and she realized that the man from her supposed dream was now staring her straight in the face, his head cocked slightly to the side as he gave her a curious stare, almost as if he was silently asking her why the hell she wasn't responding to him with terror like everyone else.

It was only then that she realized just how close he was and she noticed that he was restraining her with one hand holding her arm down as he held a knife to her throat and how could she possibly not have noticed that until now?

And suddenly she was very much so terrified, but she certainly wasn't going to let him know it, because she knew instinctively somehow that fear would just egg him on. So, instead of screaming and struggling like she desperately felt like doing, which she couldn't anyways because of the knife, she stared right back at him and tried not to let her voice shake like she was sure she was.

"What are you s-staring at, freak?" She stuttered only slightly, her voice coming out surprisingly strong.

He let out a creepy little giggle.

"Freak? You're calling me a freak?"

Jacky shivered at the sound of his voice and was afraid he'd hear how terrified she really was if she answered. He went on when she didn't.

"You're so much calmer than, uh, the rest. I would think that makes you the freak."

"At least I don't look like a half dead clown." Jacky began to get angry, and her voice reflected that well.

"Little fight in you." His eyes narrowed. "That's always fun." He pressed down with the knife a little and nicked Jacky's neck. She could feel a small drop of blood slide down her skin, and instead of scaring her as it should have, it served to make her German-Irish blood begin to boil.

"What's the point of all this anyways? Did you come in here just looking for a pretty girl to kidnap and take advantage of?" Her anger was overcoming her fear. She was sneering at him.

His eyes went from still slightly amused to enraged so suddenly that Jacky hardly had time to think about what was happening. The knife was in her mouth now, pressing against the corner of her lips. He didn't answer her question, instead asking one of his own.

"Do you wanna know," he put a little more pressure on the knife, "how I got theses scars?"

"I'm sure I already know the little stories you tell," she looked straight at him, "so why don't you skip this part and kill me."

She wasn't sure why she said it. It wasn't like she actually had a death wish, not counting how guilty she felt because of her family. Or maybe that _was_ it. Whatever the actual case was, this seemed to give him pause, maybe because she was looking him straight in the eyes as she said it. He looked about to say something else when a large black figure landed right behind him. Jacky gasped and jumped and…

And screamed as the Joker's knife sliced through her skin like butter, a result of his impulsive response to her sudden movement. The cut wasn't very long, not like his, but Jacky could feel blood gush into her mouth and for a brief moment the pain of it was all she knew. He let her go and spun around quickly to face the black figure behind him, laughing his creepily giggly laugh and saying something about how it was so nice of 'Batsy' to join them.

Her hand flew to her cheek more out of shock than anything else, and she collapsed, falling hard on her knees as Matt suddenly materialized next to her.

She hadn't lost that much blood yet, so why she blacked out at that moment would never be exactly clear to her, though the doctors said it was a natural reaction. She was not a faint hearted person, that much was obvious to anyone who knew her, and the pain wasn't as unbearable as one might think because adrenaline had served to make her numb. All she knew for certain was that one minute she was on her knees with Matt trying desperately to get her to stand and run, and the next she could see the Joker running towards the exit, limping slightly on one leg.

She could've sworn he looked back at her, but she still didn't feel completely clear headed, and didn't have time to dwell on it anyways as the black figure was heading towards her now.

He knelt down in front of her. The mask he wore did well to conceal his face. She froze, not sure of whether she should be frightened or relieved that she was now sitting face-to-face with the famous (or, perhaps more infamous), Batman. He didn't say anything as he pried her hand away from her cheek gently and looked to Matt.

"She'll need stitches." He told Matt curtly in a deep, gravelly voice. "Get her to a hospital."

He looked back to her. His eyes. There was something so familiar about his eyes. She didn't have the time or energy to think on it, though, and so just stared at him blankly.

"You'll be alright."

Was it just her, or did she sense a hint of genuine worry in his voice? She managed a nod in response and then he was gone, just like that. She looked around, dazed. Matt helped her stand.

"Come on, baby, we gotta get out of here. Did he hurt you somewhere else? Can you walk? Come on, you have to move." He sounded frantic. She couldn't seem to make her muscles work. He finally picked her up, one arm around her shoulders, the other around her legs as he hugged her to his chest firmly.

She was losing blood, faster than he probably realized. He was almost running. She felt like she was in a nightmare, like it was nothing more than just a dream. She was tired suddenly, so tired. The adrenaline rush was wearing off. Her torn cheek hurt like hell. But still she was tired, so very tired.

He told her to stay awake, but she couldn't and didn't want to. Her eyes closed slowly and she went limp in his arms.

Sleep had never felt so good.

* * *

_**I actually tried something a little different with the way I wrote the end of this. Hope it wasn't too confusing. Don't worry, I'll put in some real fight scenes later, but I don't want things to get that crazy just yet.**_

_**Review, please. :-)**_


	10. Shattered

Batman didn't turn his back until The Joker was long out of sight. He could hear Jacky's ragged breathing behind him and he was sure he'd seen the clown cut her, so he turned and made his way over to her.

Matt backed away a little as he approached. He knelt down in front of Jacky, who looked dazed and was probably in shock. He took a brief moment to inspect the long cut that extended one end of her lips to create a gruesome smirk. She was bleeding pretty badly, which was a given.

"She'll need stitches." He rasped curtly to the boy hovering close by. "Get her to a hospital."

He looked back to Jacky. She looked blankly back into his eyes. His voice softened a little with the worry of an uncle. He couldn't seem to hold it back.

"It's not too bad. You'll be alright." He knew she would be, physically at least, and that was all he was worried about for that moment. She continued to stare into his eyes, and he saw the faintest hint of recognition…

Batman stood abruptly and turned quickly, his cape shadowing his movements as he moved silent as the grave, through a window already broken by a bullet. He was towards the back of the building when he landed out on the street, which was good because the cops had arrived and were inadvertently creating a huge fuss towards the front of it.

Batman slid silently into the shadows, unnoticed by anyone else, and left the police to do their job, not that they had much left to do but clean up at that point. That was alright, though; they probably needed a break. The Joker had been all over the place lately, worse than usual, and this was the first time that Batman could think of that he'd left no corpses in his wake. Why hadn't he killed Jacky? He hadn't even really threatened her, at least not after Batman had arrived. Not that he was complaining of course; he was more than a little relieved to know that his niece was safe. But The Joker never gave up that easily on a victim. And he hadn't touched anyone else in the restaurant either. It was as if he'd somehow gotten fixed on Jacky alone, noticed something different about her maybe..

He stopped that train of thought before it could go any further. He was getting ahead of himself. The Joker was unpredictable, and it was entirely possible that he'd simply changed his mind or maybe hadn't even cared about victims this time, just wanted a good fight with 'Batsy'. Whatever the case actually was, he'd have to think on it later as he took to his cities roof tops, tailing Matt and Jacky on their way to the nearest hospital.

* * *

_Beep..Beep..Beep..Beep.._

At first Jacky was aware only of that slow, steady, and incessant beeping.

_Beep..Beep.._

It was more than a little annoying. She could feel her cheek now. It hurt, bad. What happened?

_Beep..Beep.._

Was she in a hospital? She recognized the beeping now and wondered about just how much trouble she'd get in for tearing the machine apart, it was so annoying. Could she even move? Her arm was sore as if she'd bruised it. She slowly began to remember why. Someone had grabbed her, restrained her.

There were people in the room with her now. She could hear voices over the beeping.

"No change?" The first voice was familiar, and obviously a guy. Her Uncle Bruce.

"Nope. She's still out. Nurse says not to worry, she should come around soon.." The second voice was even more familiar, though not as deep as her Uncle's. Matt.

_Beep..Beep.._

"Has her Uncle Joe been here?" Bruce's voice was closer than Matt's. He was standing next to her.

"Yeah, he was here earlier. He was almost panicking over her, but he had to leave. Did you know he's a cop?" Typical Matt. He wasn't going to leave any room for silence now that there was someone else in the room.

_Beep..Beep.._

"Yeah, I remember she told me that at some point. I haven't met him."

"Probably better that you don't; most people don't like him very much anyways."

They kept on talking and the machine kept on beep beep beeping and her cheek was pounding and now she could easily remember exactly what had happened. The Joker came barreling into the restaurant and for some reason he'd gotten fixed on her of all people and where had her Uncle Bruce gone? He'd left somewhere along the line, just left her there, and then The Joker had a knife to her throat, or was it her cheek? Well, obviously her cheek, probably both at one point or another, and what a nice knife that had been too. And then that big stupid Bat had to appear out of nowhere and make her jump and she really wished he hadn't because then maybe The Joker wouldn't have cut her. Or, maybe that was a stupid thought, because from what she knew of The Joker he never took pity on people, but he'd paused with her, hadn't kept going until Batman came up behind him and she'd jumped, which again wouldn't have happened had the Bat not come out of nowhere like that.

Batman. She suddenly found herself fixed on the single image of him, towering over her as she stared dazedly up at him, her torn cheek bleeding like crazy. Batman. If her cheek scarred as bad as.. Well, she'd be blaming him even more than The Joker to say the least.

She remembered off handedly that something else about the large black figure had also captured her attention, but with all the noise in the room and outside it and her bruised arm and hurt cheek she once again was too distracted to think about it.

What hospital was she in anyways? How had they gotten here? Was that…

She heard a few loud bangs, which wouldn't have been so nerve racking had she known exactly where she was; the room she was in was close to the psychiatric ward of the hospital, and the banging was most likely one of its many occupants making a fuss over something. She'd always had incredibly good hearing. But she didn't know exactly where she was, and to her confused mind the bangs reminded her a little too much of gunfire.

She could feel her heart rate speed up as she remembered the sudden gunfire from the night before. Very much awake now, she shot up in bed, and the heart monitor that was still beep beep beeping away only got louder and faster and even more annoying than before. She tried to open her mouth, to talk, but oh! It hurt worse than she remembered it hurting and now she felt panicked because the sudden jolting pain that trying to open her mouth caused her to feel seemed to put her back in the restaurant with the Joker holding her there and his knife in her mouth and…

The heart monitor was going really crazy now. Only half conscious of what she was doing, she started pulling at the wires and things attaching her to it, hoping to make it so she could get up and run. And of course this all really happened in only a few seconds, and her Uncle Bruce seemed to move almost reflexively, pushing her back down onto the hospital bed gently but firmly and restraining her arms.

Matt ran out to see where the nurse was.

"Jacky! Calm down! You're safe, you're in a hospital! Don't try to talk, you'll pull the stitches."

She stared up at her uncle with a blank expression and a somewhat wild look in her eyes. She could feel the salty, metallic taste of blood on her tongue. He continued to restrain her. Two nurses hurried in with Matt in tow.

"Bless her heart, it looks worse than before… It's bleeding again."

"Not as badly. We'll worry about that later. Do we need to sedate her?"

"Not a good idea after she was already unconscious, just give her a minute to get her bearings."

Jacky had her eyes closed again. She took a few deep breaths and felt herself calming a little.

"That's a good girl. Nothing to worry about in here, I promise."

She opened her eyes back up and found herself looked up at a smiling nurse, who was too busy looking down at a clipboard to direct her overly perky smile at Jacky.

"Careful trying to talk, sweetie."

"Do.." Jacky paused and winced. "Do not… call me 'sweetie.'"

The nurse's smile faded a little. She looked up now.

"Well, uhm, alright. I'm sorry?" It sounded almost like a question. "As I was saying, try not to open your mouth too wide. You'll…" She trailed off as if unsure of what to say next.

Jacky licked the inside of her cheek with her tongue and winced again when it hurt some more.

The smile-y nurse turned to the other nurse, who was older and not quite as peppy, obviously asking a silent question. Jacky could see the older nurse shake her head very slightly with a grim expression on her slightly wrinkled face, saying 'no' to whatever smile-y was asking.

"Well, just take my word for it and be careful, alright?" Smile-y finally finished her sentence and stepped away from the bed, a nervous look in her eyes.

"Mirror." Jacky's request seemed to startle the nurses. They both looked up to her at once, as did her uncle and boyfriend. "Can I… have one?"

"Uh, babe, that's not such a good idea, you should settle down first. We'll worry about all that later." Matt tried to take her hand in his but she pulled it away.

"No. I want to see it. Now. Mirror."

The nurses exchanged looks, then Smile-y nodded and bustled out of the room. Everyone was quiet. Matt rubbed the back of his neck, looking nervous. Bruce's phone beeped suddenly and the older nurse gave him a look.

"You can't use those things back here." She scolded.

"I know I can't ma'am. I'm on my way out now." He looked to Jacky. Even he looked a little unnerved. She was starting to really worry now. "I'll be back tomorrow, I promise."

A little half nod was her only reply. Suddenly looking extremely preoccupied, he brushed past Smile-y as she was coming back in.

Smile-y seemed to think nothing of the sudden change in his behavior as she approached Jacky.

"Are you sure you want…"

"Yes." Jacky cut her off and reached for the mirror. Smile-y handed it to her and sent the older nurse another look. The older nurse just shrugged. Jacky brought the mirror up slowly and looked into it.

The right side of her face was perfect, untouched and normal, but that only served to make her cheek on the left side look even worse than it was. The cut was slanted upwards, pointing towards her cheek bone. She could see why they wanted her to be so careful now; there were little plastic, barely visible stitches weaving in and out of the raw, bright red flesh. The skin around it was pink and swollen. She reached up to brush her fingers against it, half hoping that it wasn't actually there, and whimpered slightly when even the slight pressure she had put on it caused it to hurt more. She felt a tear slide down her cheek and looked to Matt, expecting some comfort.

"It's uh, it's not as bad as it looks." He wouldn't look at her. None of them would, she realized suddenly. Her uncle hadn't kept his eyes on her for very long, the nurses were apparently too busy doing other things; even Matt wouldn't look at her. He took her hand in his and just stared down at it.

"It looks really bad, Matt… Please. Look at me." He hesitated, then slowly lifted his eyes to look at her…

…and his gaze was automatically drawn to her cheek. He stared for a brief moment, then looked away again. Jacky's German-Irish blood was fully boiling by now.

The glass mirror flew across the room faster than anybody could realize what was happening. It shattered into a million pieces, the sound echoing off of the sterile walls of the hospital room.

* * *

_**I hope there aren't any odd mistakes or anything in this. I know it's short too, but it's late and I'm tired, so this it for now. Review please. :-) **_


	11. A Slightly Clueless Criminal

_**Wow, haven't updated on here for a long while. Been extremely busy, and schools started now, so I haven't been doing much writing.**_

_**Hope you enjoy what I have written, anyways. (:**_

* * *

_The glass mirror flew across the room faster than anybody could realize what was happening. It shattered into a million pieces, the sound echoing off of the sterile walls of the hospital room._

Matt jumped and let go of Jacky's hand, backing away. The nurses stopped short and just stared at her.

"Out!" Jacky yelled, and she didn't know where all this rage was coming from, but she suddenly wanted to hurt someone and didn't know what to do. "Just get out, all of you!" She kept yelling and could feel her stitches pulling but for the moment she didn't notice the pain.

The nurses gladly complied, hustling out of the room without another word. Matt hesitated, frozen in place.

"J-Jacky calm down, please, it's gonna…"

"Do not. Tell me. It will be. Alright." She stared ahead at the wall where the mirror had shattered, her voice harsh and cold making her sound nothing like his girlfriend. "Just leave."

He nodded shakily and quickly grabbed the coat and back pack he had with him before walking brusquely out of the room. She closed her eyes and began breathing deeply.

She had to calm down, had to keep her cool. She could not lose it like that. Deep breaths.

_1..2..3..4..5_

She began slowly counting in her head, trying to force herself to calm down, like she'd been teaching herself to do for months, since the fire. It was working. She could feel her heart beat slowing down.

_6..7..8.._

She shouldn't have yelled like that. Matt had been right, she'd be fine.

_9..10.._

* * *

Matt took out his ancient flip-phone, flipping it open as his hand shook slightly and betrayed how unnerved he was at his, usually very calm, girlfriend's strange outburst.

"Please work, please work…" He stared down at the little phone and was relieved to see that he had a signal, if only barely. Stopping quickly on the sidewalk he'd been walking down and moving only slightly so as not to get in somebody's way, he pulled out the small slip of paper he'd found on the floor of his apartment.

On it was a number written in Jacky's neat handwriting, and he could only assume it had fallen out of her pocket at some point while she was there. He'd forgotten it was even in his pocket until just then. He knew he needed to let somebody know that Jacky wasn't doing so well, since he'd been the only person besides the nurses to see her freak out. If it had been someone else, he guessed, it probably wouldn't be such a big deal, but Jacky never got angry, not like that. He'd never seen her look out of control, at all.

He'd called back up to the hospital, to see if he could talk to Jacky's mom, but when he was patched through to Mrs. Wayne's room there was no answer, which meant she was most likely sleeping. He'd tried her Uncle Joe too, but he hadn't answered either, which meant he was on duty. The only other person he could think to call was the person whose number was written neatly on the piece of paper in his hand. _Uncle Bruce_ was all she'd put before the number, which obviously belonged to a cell phone.

"Please pick up Mr. Wayne." He dialed the number nervously. The phone rang. And rang. And rang some more.

"_Hello, you've reached…"_

Matt frowned as the automated voice mail picked up.

"Great, just great." He continued to mumble to himself as he dialed again.

* * *

Bruce was, for the first time in a while, having an exceptionaly hard time focusing on what he needed to focus on. He couldn't stop worrying about Jacky. He felt terrible for how he'd acted. He'd barely been able to make himself look at her, not because she really looked that bad, but because the scar on her cheek reminded him too much of the madman who had given it to her.

She'd seemed calm enough when he left, but that was what worried him. For her to be so calm and collected all the time didn't seem normal somehow. She'd lost her dad and her brother, and yet he'd never seen her looking all that sad. Or angry. Or upset at all really. And now she had this to add on to the list of things that had gone wrong for her, and she still was holding it all in.

Of course, that wasn't really so different from how he usually acted, though he'd never admit that out loud. But then, things were different with him. He had the chance to take his emotions out on the criminals he beat to a pulp every night, a sort of side effect of protecting his city. As far as he knew Jacky didn't have any kind of outlet at all. Or maybe she did; he highly doubted she'd tell him about it if she did have one.

Well, Bruce decided, that shouldn't be too hard to fix. He'd just have to make her feel more comfortable around him. Or, at least he would try to. He wasn't at all sure of why he was so fixed on being there for her; it most likely had a lot to do with how easily he could relate to what she was going through. And the fact in itself that she was his niece was probably a big contributor too.

The reasons behind it didn't really matter in the long run. He'd do what he could to help her, and that would be the end of it.

He screeched to a halt inside of the abandoned construction site and quickly climbed out of the sleek black car he'd been driving, glancing around breifly before jogging to the large white container that actually served as an entrance to his underground bunker.

He didn't even think to grab his cell phone, oddly enough, which was buzzing like crazy on the passenger's seat in the front of his car, where he'd left it.

* * *

Matt gave up after the third try, figuring he'd just make the guy mad if he kept calling. He was about to turn around and start walking back to the hospital, thinking he'd go see Jacky because he'd be damned if her finally showing some real emotion was going to scare him away, when his phone began to ring. He stiffened when he saw who was calling and lowered his voice a little when he answered.

"Yeah, Matt here…he what? Is this guy crazy or something?...well, yeah I know how to use a gun, but…yeah, yeah, I get it…alright, fine, I'm coming." He slammed the phone shut in frustration and began heading in the opposite direction of the hospital, up the street and towards a fancy museum, wondering why on earth the guy he worked for wanted all of his boys to gather there.

* * *

Batman screeched along the streets of Gotham in the tumbler, trying to keep to the less busy streets as he headed for a museum that was apparently being broken in to. He would have liked to have stayed with Jacky, and couldn't help but wonder if bothering with a simple robbery was really that important. The museum had a special exhibit up, though, some kind of rare Asian egg collection that was on loan sort of from somewhere in China, and there was no telling what kind of trouble could be caused if someone was dumb enough (or maybe smart enough, depending on what they were thinking) to steal any of them.

He pulled right up to the enterance of the museum. No police appeared to have arrived yet. Good. That suited Batman just fine for the moment. He climbed out of the tumbler and headed into the building.

He didn't see anyone around at first, which was strange. He stepped cautiously through a ton of broken glass, heading further into the museum. Pausing briefly, he looked around. He could easily spot four dead security guards.

Foot steps were heading in his direction now. That didn't take long.

* * *

Matt heard glass crackling in the enterance room to the museum; the room he and another guy named Josh had been told to watch for when the police showed up.

Strange, he hadn't heard any police sirens. He would have noticed flashing lights easily in the dark museum. He motioned for Josh to follow him and shakily pulled a gun out of his pocket; a gun he'd never used like this before.

The promise he'd made to Jacky echoed in his head. _I promise you I would never kill anyone._ He'd told her.

_Promise you I would never kill anyone._

Well, that was simple right? He just wouldn't shoot to kill.

He glanced back to make sure his fellow look out was behind him before quickly turning the corner into the lobby of the museum, gun held straight out in front of him.

There was no one there. But he was sure he'd heard someone…

His heart rate sped up and his hands began to shake worse. He tried to steady them as he looked around, trying to see any sign of anyone else being in the room. Finding nothing, he lowered his gun just enough to point it at the floor and turned to Josh.

Josh shrugged, looking a lot less nervous than Matt. He'd probably done this before, many times. Matt hadn't.

He jumped and stiffened when someone landed behind him.

Landed?

"Hey man, watch out, it's the Bat!" Josh yelled, raising his gun and firing it several times, the bullets flying just above Matt's shoulder.

* * *

Ski masks. They were wearing ski masks. Batman landed right behind the one and mentally snorted when the other started shooting.

The one turned towards him, gun held out between two shaking hands. There was something different about this one. He wasn't shooting yet.

He knocked the gun out of the nervous kids hands easily. The kid tried to throw a punch; Batman caught his fist mid-swing and pushed him roughly aside in one swift movement.

* * *

Matt grunted in pain as he felt something in his hand snap before Batman shoved him roughly aside. He tripped and fell to the floor; he knew nothing for a moment except the pain of several large shards of glass embedding themselves in the bare skin of his wrists.

The other men had come into the room by the time he got to his feet. The Bat was throwing them all around like rag dolls.

"Hey, Josh, watch out!" He yelled as he watched Josh reach for his gun, the Batman coming up behind him as he did so. It didn't do Josh much good; the large black figure behind him picked him up by his shirt long before he could reach the gun, mumbling something in his gravelly voice.

* * *

"Hey, Josh, watch out!" He recognized that voice. He wasn't sure where from, though, and he didn't have too much time to think on it.

"What did you come here for?" Batman growled at the kid he'd just picked up.

He didn't get a response. Remembering the dead security guards, he spun around and dragged the kid with him, slamming him against a wall.

"Four dead guards; can't be for nothing. What did you come here to steal?"

"Hey, leavehimalone!" It was the familiar voice again. "He doesn'tknow, neitherofus knows! We didn't killtheguards! They justwanted us watchforthecops!" He rushed to try and explain, and Batman knew he'd heard that voice before. It sounded like… He turned back to the kid he was holding and eyed him for a moment, heard cop sirens, decided it was time to high tail it out of there.

He dropped Josh and spared one last glance at the kid whose voice he knew, focusing breifly on his eyes. The look he saw in them confirmed his suspicions easily. It was the same look he'd gotten from Jacky's boyfriend in the resturaunt a few nights before.

He wondered briefly if Jacky had any clue that Matt had, unfortunately, just made a criminal of himself.

* * *

_**Review please!**_


	12. A Little On Edge

_**Disclaimer: Haven't done this in a while, but I obviously do not own Batman Begins or the Dark Knight.**_

* * *

"_No, no please!" She screamed bloody murder as the large thug came towards her, a knife glinting in his hand._

"_Now, you just calm down sweet thing. This doesn't have to be painful." He motioned towards his even larger friend, who lumbered over and wrapped both arms around her small frame, effectively restraining her. _

_She couldn't take her eyes off the knife in his screamed and felt the stitches in her healing cheek pull painfully and a tear spilled over, sliding down her cheek. _

_The thug that was restraining her put his large hand over her mouth, trying to shut her up._

"_None of that, sweet thing." The other brute was checking her over now, looking at what little jewelry she was wearing. Trying to see if anything was worth stealing. _

"_Hm. Don't got much on you." He leaned in closer and breezed his hand across the necklace on her neck; the necklace her boyfriend had given her. She shivered. He stole a suggestive glance downward and she cursed herself for wearing such a low cut dress. He tore the necklace from her neck. She struggled against the man restraining her. _

_The one who kept calling her 'sweet thing' gestured to his friend, who let her go without question._

"_Now, sweet thing, why don't you just come here and give us a kiss…" He leaned in and smashed his rough, dry lips against hers._

_She bit his tongue when it forced its way into her mouth. _Hard_._

_He pulled back, his lips already stained with blood. _

_She moved forward without thinking, her movements swift and quick as she brought her leg up between his legs._

_That was more than enough to give him pause. She tried to run. The other one caught her before she could get out of the ally. _

"_Alright, fine, sweet thing." Her captor walked to her, his walk a little awkward, and for some unexplainable reason she couldn't keep herself from letting out a hysterical giggle. "What? What's that? Are you _laughing_?" He looked up at his friend. "She's laughing at me." Turned back to her now. "Nasty scar you got there. You must be as crazy as the clown, too. Why don't we try completing the look?" _

_She could barely get out the word 'no' before the knife had sliced straight through her other cheek…_

Jacky shot straight up on the couch she'd been sleeping on and bit back the scream that tried to force its way out her throat. She looked around frantically, realized she was safe and sound in her uncle's apartment, turned on the light before closing her eyes and counting to ten slowly.

"Just a dream. Just a dream."

The throbbing in the fresher scar on the right side of her face was a nasty reminder that it wasn't a dream, but a memory. The most vivid, accurate dream-memory she'd had yet. Jacky pulled back the covers, half soaked with sweat and laid herself back down, trying to relax.

"I'm safe. I'm safe. It was only a dream." She repeated that to herself for an hour until she finally fell back into a restless sleep.

* * *

"Matt?" Jacky shreiked, looking horrified, though he had no idea why.

"Hey. What's wrong?" The bright smile he'd had on his plump lips disappeared immediately when he got a good look at her face; at her newest scar and the nervous look in her eyes. "You don't want to see me?"

"No! I mean yes! I mean… of course I want to see you." She let him into her uncle's appartment hesitantly.

He looked around as she led him over to a couch to sit down, refusing the hug he tried to give her.

"Is your uncle here?"

"Nope. He got called in to work; I didn't bother to ask why this time. Mom's here obviously, but she's asleep." She refused to look in his direction, showing him only the less swollen side of her face. He didn't blame her. He always seemed to wind up staring at them for a moment, like an idiot.

He grimaced and tried to hold back from saying anything about it.

"How's she doing?"

"Much better."

"That's great!" He said brightly.

"Yeah, great." She responded, her voice void of emotion.

A long and awkward pause followed. He tried to think of something to say. He knew he needed to apologize to her; disappearing for a week and a half was not exactly good boyfriend behavior. If she knew what had happened at the musuem, though… He'd had no choice but to lay low for a little while.

He watched her stare downwards for a while, then begin fidgeting, her leg bobbing up and down nervously.

"Look, Jacky, about my disappearing…"

"What happened to your hands?" She cut him off, her voice louder and more firm than it had been before.

He sighed and looked down at his hands and wrists, casted and bandaged from the fight he'd lost to The Batman.

"Accident. Uh, fell with a dish in my hand. Glass everywhere."

"Hm." She finally turned towards him as she took his hands and began looking over the bandages. "A dish. Were you at your apartment?"

"Yeah, I was." He frowned, knowing it was an epicly lame excuse.

"Awful lot of damage from falling with just one of the little dishes you have. And a simple fall wouldn't have broken your right hand."

He didn't know how to respond to that, so he simply didn't.

"You suck at lying, just so you know. You don't wanna tell me, that's fine, though. Guess it's none of my business." She turned back towards the TV, picking up the remote and flipping through the channels.

She was wrong. It was all of her business. She'd been his girlfriend for more than a year. But he didn't argue with her. He couldn't tell her about what had really happened. She'd never forgive him.

He took a moment to look her over. She looked pail, her skin too white for a girl who used to love going outside. She had dark circles under eyes. She was too fidgety, her leg bouncing up and down again even as she was obviously trying to appear calm.

She needed to get out. That much was obvious.

"You know, Jacky." He paused when she didn't respond right away, reaching out with his unbroken hand to touch her arm. "Baby, maybe we should go out for a while and…"

She tensed visibly when his skin met that of her bare arms.

"Do not touch me." She hissed at him, suddenly sounding beyond angry.

He took his hand back quickly, then held both his hands up in surrender.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry."

She didn't respond, relaxing only a very little.

They heard someone come through the door behind them; Matt turned around to see Jacky's Uncle Joe walk through the door with Bruce Wayne striding in right behind him.

Matt stood up to greet them both.

"Hello Officer M, Mr. Wayne." He nodded to them both.

"Matt." Joe spoke up first, eyeing him suspiciously. "How long you been here?"

"He just got here Uncle Joe." Jacky turned to look at him.

"You lying to me?"

"No, of course not. Chill out old man." She rolled her eyes.

Matt listened to the short exchange nervously. Joe still looked suspicious.

"Hey, give them some credit. I'm sure you'll find out if they've been up to anything, uh, _naughty_ sooner or later anyways." Wayne spoke up, sending a wink in Jacky's direction. A small smile graced her pail lips in response.

"Thank you Uncle Bruce."

"Sure thing, kid." His smile faded and he turned his eyes on Matt, glancing down at his bandaged hands, then meeting his eyes with an odd expression. "Hey Jacky, why don't you come outside with me so we can talk."

She got up without hesitation and followed him through the kitchen and out onto a small balcony, not even glancing back at Matt.

Joe walked back towards her mother's bedroom, taking no further notice of Matt either.

He frowned, taking out his cellphone and typing a quick message to Jacky's cellphone, which she'd left on the table next to where she'd been sitting.

_If I did somethin wrong, plz tell me. Goin back home. Love u._

He hit send and left, not knowing what else to do.

* * *

"You haven't been sleeping well. Another nightmare last night?"

Jacky stared down at the street two stories below them and nodded yes to her uncle's question.

"The nightmare's don't help, but they aren't the problem. I can't sleep to begin with. Something about living here..." She watched a group of hooded gangsters talking animatedly on the steps of the apartment building across from them. "I hate it."

"I don't blame you." He came up next to her and continued slowly. "But I do have a solution."

Her eyebrows furrowed and she turned to him slowly.

"Do tell."

"I think, maybe, you and your mother should move in with me."

She only stared at him, and he began to explain further.

"I have more than enough room for all of us in my penthouse, you'd have your own bedroom to sleep in and you could play that music of yours as loud as you wanted; there'd be no one else bothered by it. And you'd be safer there then you would be anywhere else in this city, I can guarentee it. And I'm sure Alfred-you've met him right?"

She nodded.

"Once, when you had me driven home from the hospital."

"He'd be more than happy to help make sure your mother is ok. He knows plenty about all that medical stuff."

"Wouldn't…" Jacky began, then hesitated for a moment. "I mean, I don't want to intrude if we're around and you have special _visiters_." A half smirk crept across her lips as she wiggled her eybrows at him.

"Well, we'll make sure our bedrooms are farely far apart then." He said with what seemed an oddly fake smile in return and a wink. "Make sure no one has a chance to bother anyone else with that sort of thing."

She gave him a genuine smile now, the first one she'd given anyone in over a week.

"Uncle Bruce, that sounds wonderful!"

"Great!" He said. "I already talked to your mother about it, and your uncle Joe; they both think it's a great idea too. You can start packing your things whenever you're ready."

"We really don't have much to pack. A suit case for what little clothes I have would do it for me, same with mom." Jacky turned her gaze back down to the street below her. It was getting dark by now and even the gangsters had enough sense to go there separate ways, heading inside for the night.

"_Bruce?_"Her mother's voice called for her uncle. He turned and went inside. Jacky was about to follow when a shadow in the allyway next to the apartment across from her caught her eye.

She leaned over the wall of the balcony, trying to look down the allyway.

She caught a gilmpse of whitened skin and a bright red smile. Eyes circled with black paint stared back up at her, looking curious? Amused? Maybe both. She couldn't tell. She stared back for a moment, frozen with fear, then closed her eyes. Only a dream. It was only a dream. She'd fallen asleep on the couch somewhere along the line and it was only a dream.

She opened her eyes back up.

She was still standing on the balcony outside her Uncle Joes' apartment. And the clown's face was still staring back at her, definitely looking amused now. Could he see her that well? Had he seen her close her eyes? Probably since she could see him pretty well.

She turned towards the door.

"Uncle Bruce! Uncle Joe! Come quick!"

Her Uncle Bruce was there so fast she didn't even see him coming. He was just there suddenly, jogging past her and towards the wall of the balcony as though he could jump over it and down to the street.

"I-it was him. T-the J-J-J," she couldn't seem to get his name out, "the clown! He's stalking me now!"

She watched him scan the street and visible allyways below them as her Uncle Joe also came running out, his police uniform still on with the shirt unbuttoned revealing the white shirt underneath, as though he'd been ready to take it off.

"Jacky, you alright? What's going on?"

"There's no one down there." Bruce spoke up.

"But I saw…I mean…" Jacky's shoulder slumped. She started taking deep breaths, trying to calm herself.

"I'm not saying you didn't see him." Bruce spoke up again. "But he's gone now. Are you ok?"

Her Uncle Joe put a hesitant hand on her shoulder and she forced herself not to tense up. She hated it when anyone touched her now, but she knew he was trying to be helpful.

"Y-yes." Her voice wavered a little and she cleared her throat, taking another deep breath. "Yes, I'm fine."

He looked passed her to her Uncle Joe and she knew they were having some kind of silent conversation.

"Go pack just enough stuff for tonight. I'm taking you and your mom to sleep at the penthouse. We'll get whatever you don't bring tomorrow."

"B-but mom's still pretty weak…and what about you Uncle Joe…I mean, we can't just…"

"I can take care of myself." Her Uncle Joe broke in. "I think you forget sometimes what I've done to earn this badge I wear. You, on the other hand, do not know a thing about fighting, and your mother's still very weak, like you said. With everything that's happened, I don't want you staying here anymore either."

She wanted to argue, but could find no good argument to use. So she nodded quietly and walked back into the apartment where she and her mother quickly packed their things.

They left an hour later.

* * *

"I must admit, I'm surprised you're bringing them here like this."

Bruce looked over at Alfred from his position in front of the TV. He'd been only half listening to the news.

"They're the closest thing I have to family now, Alfred, save for you. What would you have me do?"

His question was met with a brief moment of silence.

"I suppose you do have a point. There's no place safer for Miss Jacky and her mother, that's for sure. But what are you going to do if they should begin to notice anything strange?"

"I'll deal with that if and when it happens. I'm more worried about Jacky than I am about her mother, though. Vicky seems to be alright as long as Jacky is. And I'm not sure if Jacky is."

"Well, lets see here. She was attacked by an evil clown, nearly killed by muggers in a dark allyway; gained nasty scars from both traumas. And now it appears she's being toyed with by that same said evil clown. Need I continue?"

Bruce shook his head.

"I'm not saying she doesn't have a right to be not alright. I'm just saying I want to keep her close. She's holding it all in and I'm afraid of what might happen if she snaps."

"Perhaps you might try simply asking her what she wants instead of worrying so much about what you think she needs."

Bruce sighed. Could it be that simple?

He hadn't thought to just ask.

But then, Alfred always was good at coming up with the one thing Bruce had not thought of.

He reached for the remote and switched off the TV.

"Will you be going out on your usual patrols tonight, sir?" Alfred walked past him and began turning out the lamps in the large room.

Bruce thought about it for a moment before responding.

"No, I think I'll stay in tonight. Don't think it would be a good idea if they woke up and I was gone on their first night here."

Alfred gave him a small smile.

"Will be nice to make breakfast and actually have others here to eat it for once."

Bruce smiled back.

"Goodnight, Alfred."

"Goodnight, Master Wayne."

* * *

_**Wow, long chapter. Again, characters might be a bit OOC, I'm not sure because I haven't seen the movies in a while. Let me know what you think! (: **_


	13. Losing It

"Oh, come on, you must have _something _you can wear to the party."

Jacky turned away from the suitcase containing what little she had clothing-wise and glared at her Uncle Bruce.

"Look, I… I don't even know who's going to be there anyways."

"As many friends of yours as I could find. You don't seem to have many."

The glare softened as she looked away.

"I invited a whole bunch of people, alright? You'll make some new friends. Are you sure you having nothing?"

"Nope, sorry, this is it, and the only dresses in here are the ones that Matt," she paused for a moment when he narrowed his eyes at the mention of her boyfriend, "bought me. They aren't ball gowns. The rest is just t-shirts and blue jeans. They're not really my style anymore anyways, I kind of want to change things up."

He was silent for a moment as if thinking before responding.

"You know… I think I need to take you on a proper shopping trip."

"A 'proper' shopping trip? I think you've been hanging around all those dumb blondes for too long."

He chuckled.

"Ok, you're probably right, but I'm serious." He took his fancy touch phone out of an inside jacket pocket, hitting a few keys before putting it to his ear. "Grab your coat and come on. I'm taking you down town."

He turned away as whoever he was calling apparently answered. Jacky raised her eyebrows.

"Lucius, I'm afraid I won't be back into the office this afternoon. I'm, uh, taking Jacky out…"

* * *

"I hope I scare everyone."

Bruce smiled a little at Jacky's comment.

"Oh, I'm sure you will. Everyone but me."

"Well, duh, because you've already seen all my new stuff."

"Well, yeah there's that. Are you almost ready?" He glanced down at his watch. They were already going to be fashionably late, but that was alright. He was throwing this party for her, trying to get her to have some fun. Having her make a stunning enterance would add to the magic of it. At least, he hoped it would.

"Yes, actually, I am." Her voice was much closer now.

He looked up and for the first time in a while a genuine grin spread across his face. She was beautiful. She was wearing a black dress with a beautiful, sparkling beaded design on the front. The top was colored deep red and tight like a corset and had a plunging neckline that was a bit low cut, but he could hardly complain since the rest of the dress was pretty modest. The sleeves came down longer than her arms, trailing down to a point. The skirt was long also, trailing along behind her and shortening in front to show off the fishnet stockings she had on underneath and her sparkling stilleto heeled sandles. She had her hair curled and falling bouncily around her face, taking attention away from her nicely healing scars.

The sparkling Bohemian glass necklace around her neck topped the outfit off perfectly.

"You look incredible. You're going to be beating every boy down there off with a stick."

He could see her blush even with all the pail makeup she had on. He offered her his arm and she walked forward with a suprising amount of grace, looping her arm through his.

"Can I ask you something?" He asked. "Might be kind of personal."

"Shoot."

"Why the sudden style change? I mean, I know a lot has happened, but it seemed like this was kind of sudden."

She was silent for a moment.

"A girl at school was saying things about me. About how cute and quiet and innocent I am. Called me a cry baby because I was out of school for a few weeks because of the accidents."

"High school's really no fun at all, doesn't matter what they say." He answered with a sigh. "I'm sorry."

"S'not your fault. It's hers. It wouldn't be so bad if she didn't have the whole school in on it." She gave Alfred a warm smile as they got into the limosine. "Anyways, I just thought it might be fun to change things up on them all. Start looking as scary as they apparently think I should be."

There were million things that Bruce wanted to say in response to that, but none of them were things he wanted to bring up now. He turned to look out the window.

Fun. She was only seventeen and he wanted her to have some real fun. He'd tried to invite anyone and everyone he knew that was her age to the party (a larger amount of people than one might have thought at first) and to get just the right kind of music and he'd even (rather hesitantly) allowed her to invite her boyfriend.

And then there was the particularly special surprise that he had waiting for her…

"Uncle Bruce, why isn't this party at your penthouse?" She asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Because that's where I usually have my parties, and because they just renovated this place to be a night club. Opened a few weeks ago. Really nice place."

"I can see that. Wow." She stared past him and out the window at the towering building they'd just pulled up in front of.

* * *

Jacky stared up at the huge building, slightly amazed. It was several stories high and made almost entirely of glass so that one could look in at night and see all the people dancing or having parties.

At least, that's what could be seen on the first three floors. What the owner of a night club would want with the rest of the space in the building, she had no idea.

"Club Ice." Jacky read the neon blue sign above the club's enterance with a snort. "Is that the best they could come up with, Club Ice? Kind of a creative fail if you ask me."

Bruce shrugged as he lead her towards the double doors leading into the building.

She noticed him take out his phone, texting someone, but didn't think anything of it.

"Name doesn't matter if it's getting enough business I guess, and believe me, it has been."

"I've noticed that tends to happen in this town when Bruce Wayne starts making enough appearances." She giggled.

He only rolled his eyes.

"Come on. Third floor." He rose his voice above the pulsing music. They got onto the elevator. A short ride up and the doors slowly slid open.

* * *

A tall brunette wearing a too tight and far too short dress bounced over towards the elevator where she knew her friend would arrive any second. She pulled the top of the dress forward and slipper her cell phone into her bra, still showing the short message she'd just received from Mr. Wayne (Bruce Wayne himself, she still couldn't believe he was Jacky's uncle) telling her they were coming and reminding her not to stare, though she still wasn't sure what it was that she was not supposed to be staring at.

She hadn't heard from Jacky in months; she had little to no clue what had been going on. She just knew it hadn't been good. Her task was to get Jacky to relax.

She could do that. She was good at making people feel comfortable. Especially Jacky because she knew her better than anyone else.

The elevator doors opened just as she made it through the crowd and several people in front turned to stare, starting a dominoe affect which had everyone turning to stare with them.

The brunette, who was closest and could see her the clearest, stared in shock at what she saw.

* * *

Matt had been sitting at a table off of the dance floor, having no desire to dance until his girlfriend got there. When he saw everyone stop and turn towards the elevator he jumped up, pushing his way through the crowd and coming up next to a tall and rather curvy brunette (she seemed vaguely familiar) with a bright smile on his face to greet his other half.

And then he realized why everyone was staring the way they were. His smile faltered a little.

Wow, what a dress. It was beautiful, he couldn't deny that. She looked stunning. But the whole outfit was so _dark_. So unlike her.

The brunette seemed to snap out of it first, squealing as she bounced up to Jacky and nearly knocked her over with a tackle-hug.

* * *

"Ranee?" Jacky's eyes widened in shock as the tall brunette came barreling towards her with her usual over-enthusiasm, wrapping her arms tightly around her neck. She hugged back tightly, smiling brightly in return.

"Jacky! I've missed you so much and you look so pretty and where did you get that dress I just love it and that necklace is incredible and I could so get used to the make up and…and…oh." She slowed to a sudden stop, bringing a hand up as if to touch one of the scars, then quickly recoiling as her fingers brushed the warm, pink flesh. "What _happened_!"

Jacky's smiled was gone as quickly as it had come.

It was only then that Ranee remembered the text from Wayne (who was now sending her a glare even scarier than her math teacher's) and she averted her gaze, looking down slightly as she pulled Jacky in for another hug, forcing her self to sound as bubbly as she had before.

"Oh, but nevermind that, don't want to upset you now 'cause you're here to have fun aren't you? Come on lets dance!" She didn't give Jacky a chance to respond as she grabbed the other girl's wrist and spun around, pulling her out to the dance floor. "DJ! Play something loud and sexy! We've got partying to do!"

Jacky laughed now and Ranee turned back to her, careful not to look at her face, and began dancing, her hips moving fluidly to the pulsing beat of the song the DJ was playing.

* * *

Matt shuffled back through the crowd of people, looking everywhere for Jacky or the tall brunette (had he heard Jacky call her Ranee?) but couldn't seem to find them anywhere. The room was only so big. He was starting to get annoyed with himself.

"Oh, I remember you! Matt, right?"

A low, husky female voice called to him from somewhere off the dance floor. He turned to see a pretty red haired woman wearing a silky red dress with heavy makeup on. He forced a smile as she strode over to him.

"Yeah, that's me. Uh, I'm looking for the girl who just got here, you know Jacky? You couldn't miss her in this room, she's wearing quite a dress…do you know which way she went?"

"Oh, I think that slutty little brown haired girl dragged her somewhere over there." She gestured vaguely towards the front of the room.

He gave her a blank look.

"Uh, right, thanks I think." He turned to head in the direction she'd pointed him in, but she grabbed his wrist.

"You don't even remember me, do you? You'd think you'd remember you're bosses daughter, especially when she's the one that got you the job."

He turned and moved forward to get a closer look, then gave her a strained smile.

"Scarlet! Of course I remember you!"

She wrapped her arms around him in a hug and he hugged back, though with much less enthusiasm.

* * *

Jacky knew Matt was supposed to be at the party too, knew she'd seen him when she'd first walked in. Where was he now? She grabbed Ranee's wrist, pulling her closer so she could yell above the nearby speakers.

"I have to go find Matt! He should be around here somewhere!"

"Ok, let's go!" Ranee yelled back, and Jacky grabbed her wrist leading her through the crowd, towards where the tables were set up on the outskirts of the dance floor, figuring it would be easiest to look there first.

* * *

"Look, Scar, I really need to go find Jacky, please, we can talk later." Matt tried to take his arm back, but Scarlet held him where he was with a suprisingly strong grip.

"Oh, come on, you can give me just one dance first, can't you?"

"No, not right now, I mean I…" He stiffened as she scooted closer to him.

"Oh, come on. What do you even see in that silly little girl anyways. She's not even 18 yet!"

Jacky grabbed Ranee's hand, dragging her forward faster as she spotted her boyfriend standing off to the side of the dance floor, looking handsome in his shirt and tie.

Who was that woman he was talking to? She was getting awfully close. Jacky yelled his name, but he didn't seem to hear her.

* * *

Matt glanced back as he though he heard someone call his name, but didn't immediately see anyone he knew. He turned back to Scarlet, who was now just inches away from his face.

"I wonder how long it's been since you gave a woman a kiss."

His face pailed as her lips met his before he could respond.

* * *

Jacky stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the firebrand Matt had been talking to lean forward, pressing her perfect red lips to his.

Time seemed to move in slow motion as she watched them kiss.

Then she screamed.

* * *

Matt pushed Scarlet away so hard she ran into the table behind her when he heard Jacky scream.

"What the hell was that?" He yelled at the woman before turning towards Jacky. "Jacky, baby, please, let me explain." He tried to steady his voice.

She apparently wasn't in the mood to listen. She picked up a knife sitting on a nearby table and threw it at him like a dart, hard. He barely managed to dodge it; it somehow embedded itself in a table behind him. Jacky stormed towards him and slapped him hard on his cheek.

"Do not 'Jacky baby' me! Do not!"

He brought his hand up to his cheek and then looked at his fingers, dark in the dim light from the blood on them. Jacky must've twisted the one ring she wore, the one he'd given her, around before slapping him. His cheek was bleeding a little. He looked back to her in shock, but she wasn't looking at him anymore. Instead she was glaring past him, at Scarlet. He didn't like the look in her eyes. It went way beyond her normal 'I'm beyond ticked' look. It worried him enough that he stepped in front of the older woman and hoped that Jacky wouldn't do something really crazy, like grab another knife…

And then Wayne seemed to appear out of no where, not even glancing in his direction as he grabbed Jacky's arm, practically dragging her along with him. The angry look in her eyes disappeared, replaced by a look of hurt and utter confusion.

He followed them quickly, meeting up with Ranee again as they both reached the elevators just as the doors slid shut.

* * *

He'd looked scared of her…

She'd actually wanted to hurt the readhead, and Matt had looked scared of her…

And now her Uncle was gripping her arm too hard in his urgence, practically dragging her back down to the limosine.

"Uncle…please, tell me what's…I mean, I thought this was…" She tried to form a coherent sentence several times before they finally made it to the limo and he practically shoved her in before quickly sliding in the other side, telling Alfred to take them back to the penthouse _now_.

"Uncle Bruce!" She finally shouted and he turned to her with those peircing blue eyes of his and she was not at all deterred by the oddly cold look in them. "What is going on!"

"We're going back to the penthouse and you and your mother are going to stay there, no questions asked." He responded with what sounded like a practiced calm. He looked down breifly and she swore she heard him say something under his breath about knowing 'that he'd been too quiet for too long', though she had no idea who 'he' could be.

When he looked back up at her with that same cold look in his eyes and spoke again, she had no doubt of whom he was talking about this time.

"He's…got your Uncle. Joe."

And then Jacky lost it for the second time that night.


	14. Of Bats and Bombs

CRASH!

Bruce wasn't sure what Jacky had just broken; he hoped faintly that it wasn't anything expensive, not that he really cared at the moment. The look of worry on Vicky Wayne's face intensified at the sound of her daughter's temper tantrum.

"What _happened_?" She asked, sounding demanding.

He didn't have time for this. He should've been down town already. He began moving towards the door, antsy.

"_Let..me..OUT!" _ He heard Jacky screach. _"I'll KILL her! Or the clown! You can't just keep me here! UNCLE BRUCE!"_

"I'm sorry," he found himself apologizing to Vicky, hoping she wouldn't ask any questions, "I have to go. Jacky can't leave. It's not safe; I don't think he picked Joe by accident. Promise me neither of you will go anywhere."

She nodded mutely. She was giving him an odd look, probably just trying to sort through all that was going on really, but he didn't dwell on it, turning to walk out of her room and down the hall way.

He slipped quietly by Jacky's room, hoping she wouldn't notice him. He saw her throw something else out of the corner of his eye, something that looked suspiciously like a large round hairbrush, heard it land in the hallway where he'd been seconds earlier.

"Where are you going?" She was out in the hall way now. That was quick. He kept moving, ignoring her. "You said it isn't safe, so why are _you_ leaving?"

He felt as if Batman had already taken over as he responded.

"Because I'm not a hormonal teenager throwing a tantrum."

She didn't respond to that, but he could feel her eyes boring into the back of his head as he walked away.

* * *

Jacky glared at her Uncle as he walked away. He looked kind of determined, as if his mind was elsewhere, but she was still too upset to think about it.

"Jacky?" She heard her mother call her from down the hall way.

She thought about locking herself in her bedroom, but then thought better of it because it wasn't like that would make her mother go away. So instead she walked down the stairs and into the living room, flipping on the large tv and plopping down onto the couch with a huff, flipping through the channels until she found a news station brave enough to get close to whatever was going on in downtown Gotham.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when an image of the Joker popped up, laughing at the news reporters from the doorway of the police station before slamming it shut.

It took several deep breaths, a conscious effort to start regaining some control of herself, before the irrational fear began to subside, a long with (finally) the anger from earlier.

"Jacky?" Her mom called her again, walking into the room cautiously. "Are you ok?"

"No." Jacky replied simply, staring at the screen in front of her.

"Oh. Ok." Her mom replied, also simply, sitting down next to her. "Want to tell me why, or do I have to start guessing?"

"Uhm, you do realize that Uncle Joe's in danger right? Like big time, could-be-killed-any-minute danger." Jacky's voice came out sounding much calmer than she felt.

"Yes, I know that, but that's not the only thing that's bothering you, and since we can't do anything about Joe right now, I think we should try fixing something that we do have control over. So, tell me, what else has happened."

Jacky's shoulder slumped as she thought about Matt and then she was telling her mother everything, about the older firebrand at her party and about how she'd seen Matt kissing said older woman and about how she'd thrown a knife and Matt had looked afraid of her.

"I can't believe I was so mean, I mean maybe I should've let him say something, maybe there is a good reason, maybe… maybe…" She trailed off as she glanced at the screen, listening to what the news reporter was saying.

The Batman had finally made an appearance at whatever old warehouse the Joker was keeping her Uncle Joe in. She glanced at the time stamp on the flashing news title at the bottom of the screen.

Huh. Her Uncle had left almost exactly twenty-five minutes earlier. It took about fifteen to get to that part of town from his penthouse…

A strange idea began to wiggle its way into her mind, an idea involving a large figure, about her uncle's height if she thought about it, clad in black, with oddly familiar blue eyes.

Fifteen minutes and perhaps another ten if one stopped just long enough to…

"Jacky?" Her mother frowned at her daughter before glancing at the screen. "Oh! Good! Batman's there! I don't care what the media tries to say about him, I'd trust him to get your Uncle out of there more than I would the police. I mean, I swear…" She started rambling on about how unfair she was sure the media was being to him. Typical of her mother; thinking and talking about anything but the most recent trouble they had to deal with.

Jacky stared blankly at the screen as her mother talked away. The way her Uncle had dragged her out of the club earlier; he'd seemed so antsy throughout the car ride back; and then the way he'd snapped at her as he rushed back out of the house.

Why would he leave at all if something like this was happening?

"Miss Jacky?"

Jacky jumped when Alfred spoke, sounding so close.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. You've been staring off for a while now, I just wondered if you heard what they just said." He pointed towards the screen.

"Oh! No, I didn't." She responded tensely, then turned towards the screen.

"Apparently , whatever's happening, its been taken somewhere else." He didn't have to elaborate for her to know that he was talking about Batman and the Joker and whatever trouble they were causing eachother. "The GCPD are closing in on the warehouse now."

She hoped that meant her Uncle was alright.

"Where exactly did Uncle Bruce go?" She turned to look up at Alfred, her thoughts snapping back to what she had been on the verge of discovering earlier.

He looked a little startled for a moment, but his expression changed only a very little, and she supposed it was probably just because it was such an out of the blue question.

"He had another affair to go to, far out of town. I'm sure he's fine, if that's what you're wondering."

Affair meaning another party of some kind.

She scowled, her German-Irish blood starting to simmer for what seemed the millionth time that night. Of course her spoiled Uncle would leave them in a crisis to go to some party. It was an interesting idea, her Uncle being some kind of big hero, but she'd been around her uncle enough by now that she supposed she should've known better.

After all, everyone knew Bruce Wayne was just a spoiled party boy. Why should she have thought (and maybe even, secretly, hoped for a breif moment there,) that he could be anything different.

* * *

Joe knew he was a dead man the minute he opened his eyes and saw the Joker standing in front of him with a video camera.

Few people made it out of situations like this when the Joker was involved.

He was afraid, terrified, more so than he'd ever been before, but he didn't want to give the Clown the satisfaction of knowing that. So he stared forward and tried not to shake too much and didn't respond to whatever questions the Joker was asking, even when his silence earned him a kick in the gut.

"Well, you're not much fun at all." The Clown said, pulling a knife out of his pocket, and even though Joe had been expecting him to do this eventually it still made him shake all the harder as he felt a bead of sweat role down his cheek.

"Why-why so serious, hm? Come one, everyone will be watching. Gotta give them something _good_ to talk about."

The knife was pressed to his lips now and Joe was shaking so bad he was afraid that he might get cut by accident, but he just couldn't help it.

Twenty odd years as a cop and this was easily the most frightened he'd ever been in his life.

"P-please." He managed to squeak, a pathetic noise even to his ears, and he closed his eyes as he was sure he felt tears building up. _Tears_. That was the last thing anyone would see of him; Joe Moretti shaking like a leaf and crying like a baby. "P-please, don't…"

The last thing Vicky and Jacky would see.

"P-please, P-please, p-p-pleeease don't." The Joker mocked with his creepy little chuckle.

A tear rolled down Joe's cheek.

"Ah ta-ta-ta-ta, none of that. I think it's about time we put a nice little sss_mile_ on that face."

And…

And then it was over before it really began as the Batman's low rasp of a voice echoed throughout the empty metal warehouse.

"Let him be, Joker."

Four simple words, but it got the Clowns attention. He took the knife away and stood up while spinning around in one movement and Joe let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding.

The warehouse was poorly lit; Joe couldn't see more than 2 feet in front of him, so he couldn't be sure of what happened next, not exactly. He could guess, though, as he could hear some kind of scuffle going on in the darkness and a sound like someone running into something metal before he heard a loud groan and the Batman slid backwards, stopping right in front of Joe.

A large metal pipe was thrown after him, apparently what the Joker had hit Batman with, and then the Clown's footsteps could be heard, running in the opposite direction from where Joe could vaguely remember hearing him enter earlier.

He was getting away.

The Batman stood and glanced in the direction the Joker had gone as though tempted to go after him before turning to Joe.

"Forget me, go get him. Now!" He met the Bat's eyes with a steady gaze, frightened though he was.

The large, dark figure nodded once before turning and disappearing into the darkness.

"The police are coming." He yelled back, probably just before he left the building.

Joe let out a sigh, daring to feel relieved as he could hear them moving outside now.

And then, as though on some sort of timer, the lights in the rest of the warehouse clicked on.

And Joe was sure he would cry again.

The perimeter of the warehouse was lined with large oil drums, all wired to eachother, all connected to the one closest to Joe. His eyes widened as he saw a timer on the detonator; a timer now counting down from 20.

They were strategically placed; even the Batman had been oblivious to them in the short time he'd been in the building.

Joe could hear the police trying to open the door on one end of the warehouse. He screamed at the top of his lungs, his voicing booming with a confidence he didn't feel as he tried to warn his would be rescuers.

"N-no, don't, get away, it's going to…"

And then the timer hit zero.


	15. Temporary Insanity

Jacky jumped, a little startled when the television in front of her suddenly blinked out. She turned to give her mother a questioning look.

"It's getting late. We should get some sleep." Her mom said, turning to pick up a phone of a table nearby. "I'm just going to call your Uncle Bruce. Be nice to know exactly where he went."

Jacky only snorted in response. She felt her cellphone vibrate in her pocket and took it out. Matt was calling her. Well, it had taken him long enough. Not that she really wanted to talk to him. She rejected the call. A few moments passed and the phone vibrated again, this time with a text. She sighed in frustration and opened it without thinking.

_Please, let me explain! I love you!_

It didn't say anything else. Jacky closed her phone and looked back over to her mother, who was trying to get ahold of her Uncle Bruce for what had to be the third time. She rolled her eyes in frustration and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Her mother asked immediately.

"For a walk."

"You're not leaving!" Her mother shreiked.

"Look, I won't go far, I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Jacky, sit back down, now, or so help me I will ground you for a month."

"Ok, be my guest, see how long that works." Jacky snapped in response before stalking out of the room.

* * *

The cool night air sent a chill through her when it hit her bare skin. She hadn't though to grab a jacket. Oh well, not a big deal. It wasn't as though she'd be out for long.

Actually, she really wasn't sure why she was out at all. She knew her mother was right and going outside at a time like this was stupid. She just needed some room to breath. She crossed her arms, rubbing them, trying to fend of the cold as she began heading up the street. She didn't realize that she was heading towards Matt's appartment until she was already more than half way there.

What made her stop at the end of the dark allyway while she was still a good three blocks away from Matt's apartment building, she would never quite understand. Once she stopped, though, she felt as though she was frozen to the spot, unable to move an inch. She knew she should move. She knew she needed to keep going because it was very late and she wasn't safe out here, not at this time of night. She'd learned that lesson the hard way already.

What made her start walking down the allyway when she swore she heard someone moving in it made even less sense.

By the time the more rational urge to run in the opposite direction finally did come, it was too late and she was backed against the brick wall, staring into the crazy, black rimmed eyes of the man that refused to stop haunting her for some deranged reason.

"Hellllo again, gorgeous."

"What do you want with me?" She growled before he could go on.

"Still nice and feisty, glad to see that hasn't changed. You think I _want_ something?"

"I don't know, you're the one who's stalking me now." She looked him in the eyes, somehow feeling less afraid than she had the last time she'd caught a glimpse of him.

"Stalking?" He emphasized the word oddly. "No no no no, not really the right word, gorgeous. Stalking implies that this was planned. I don't make _plans_."

She didn't respond. He smirked.

"You know, you were very rude last time, _interrupting _me before I could tell you my story. Remember, hm? _Wanna know how I got these scars?_"

Her hands balled into fists at her sides as she snorted; his scars somehow weren't nearly as frightening now that she had her own to match.

"Wanna know how I got mine?" She spat out the words, still looking him in the eye, and half expected him to get angry because of her mocking tone.

But he didn't. Instead he started to giggle, and then all out laugh, a crazy, manic, frightening sound. And then, to her utter shock, he let go of her arms and took a few steps back, giving her an easy opportunity to run.

But she didn't.

"Oh, I can tell you're gonna be _lots_ of fun."

Jacky stood there, back still against the wall, shaking. She watched as the Joker's eyes shifted, eyeing the rooftops above them. She took in his stance; tense as if he were waiting for something. Ah. He was probably expecting that the Batman had been right behind him and would turn up soon.

Why wasn't she running? Why wasn't she scared out of her mind? What was _wrong _with her? She felt anger, lots of anger. The Joker had taken her Uncle Joe, after all, and she still didn't know whether he was alright either. But the longer she stood there, staring at him as he now stared right back, the more she realized that she didn't really feel afraid.

Curiouisity was beginning to win out over even her anger now.

"The stories you've told. They aren't true." She said slowly, cautiously.

Something akin to surprise crossed his face for the briefest of moments; it was gone the instant it came.

"Maybe I'll tell ya the truth about, ah, mine if," and he was eyeing her cheek now, the one with the fresher scar, "you tell me who did _that_ to you."

She was struck speechless for a moment at the strange tone his voice had taken on. If she didn't know any better, she'd say he sounded, almost, kind of..possesive? A shiver went down her spine as a wave of fear swept over her for the first time since he'd thrown her against the wall.

She was about to respond when a shadow fell over the dark alleyway and the Joker looked up, destracted.

Jacky knew better then to stick around this time. She turned and ran, as fast as her legs could carry her, towards Matt's appartment, if for no other reason than that was the closest semi-safe place she could think of to go.

Matt looked startled when he opened the door to see her standing there.

"You didn't answer my texts, I thought…" He trailed off as she barreled past him, stopping in the middle of the small living room and collapsing on legs that felt like jelly from her mad three-block dash as she panted heavily.

"Jacky, what happened?" He came up next to her, sounding frantic now. "Jacky!"

"I…I just…The Joker…Uncle Joe…I can't breath…" She managed to get out as she gasped for air, her whole body beginning to tremble violently.

She flinched when he put an arm around her shoulders. The thought crossed her mind that she wanted to kill him, kissing another woman at her party and then acting all protective like he cared about her.

"Don't touch me!" She hissed.

He snatched his hand away, apparently startled.

"Sorry, babe, sorry. Just tell me what happened. I can call the cops."

"No!" She snapped, though she wasn't sure why. She could barely think with her body trembling so violently and her heart racing in her chest.

He hesitantly reached out and grabbed her arm and she didn't protest this time. He helped her stand and led her over to sit on the couch, then walked out of the room only to reappear a moment later, placing a blanket over her shoulders.

They sat in tense, awkward silence for a moment as Jacky tried to get her bearings.

"I was just going for a walk. Mom wouldn't shut up, and Uncle Joe is missing and Uncle Bruce is off at some party and I just needed room to breath! I didn't know… I mean, why would he follow me anyways? What could possibly so be interesting about stupid _me_." She ranted away and could feel his eyes on her, staring in shock.

"Y-you left on your _own_. What are you, crazy? And what are you talking about, who's following you?"

"The J-J-Joker!" She stuttered and tried not to start sobbing like she wanted. Deep breaths, she told herself, deep breaths. There was no way she was going to break down sobbing in front of Matt now.

Matt tensed visibly.

"The Joker? That's it, I'm calling the cops."

"What? No! They're all busy at that stupid warehouse, and besides, they can't help, not with him, I know it!"

"Well, fine, I'll call," he hesitated for some reason; Jacky had no idea why and was far too upset to care, "I'll call up some friends of mine, I'm sure if we can round up enough boys we can at least teach that stupid clown a lesson and…"

"Matt!" She cut him off. "No! You can't! You think I'm crazy; have you even heard about all the stuff this guy has done?"

"Oh, come on, I'd bet you half of that is all done up to make him seem scarier."

"Oh, and what about the resturaunt? Or did you forget about that night?" Her eyes narrowed as she brought a hand up to brush her cheek for emphasis. "Don't know how you could; you still can't look straight at me for more than ten seconds before going all awkward. And they aren't even as bad as they were; shows how much of a baby you are."

He didn't say anything; in fact, he proved her point by staring down at her hands as he tried to take them in his.

She yanked them away and stood up, heading for the door.

* * *

"Where are you going?" Matt said, staring at her blankly from his position on the couch.

"Home." She said simply.

"You're not going back out, not now."

"Just watch me. I can do whatever I want."

It was strange to see her suddenly seem so calm when she'd been on the verge of a serious break-down moments earlier.

Her mood swings were starting to give him whiplash.

"Ok, yeah, just…just hang on a minute. I'll walk you back." He walked over to a small closet near his bedroom and took out a jacket, handing it to her. "At least you won't freeze."

She rolled her eyes but didn't say anything, slipping the jacket on. It was way too big on her, falling down to her knees, but he figured it was much better than nothing.

He didn't realize how stupid his next move was until it was too late.

Working for his new boss had gotten him used to carrying a gun. He didn't use it unless he thought he absolutely had to, but he felt better with it on him. So, as per usual whenever he went out, especially at night, he took it out of a locked metal box at the bottom of the small closet and checked to make sure it was loaded before slipping it into the back of his jeans.

And then he turned to see his girlfriend – or was she his ex now? – standing stiffly near the door way, eyes wide and skin pail.

"What are you doing with that _thing_?" She spat out the words furiously.

And then he thought he might just have to shoot himself with his own gun because he was such an absolute idiot.

"Babe, chill, please, it's just for protection."

"I'm not your babe!" She took off the ring he'd given her, throwing it at his feet. "And I don't care what it's for, you promised you wouldn't… that you weren't like that!"

"And I wasn't lying! _Protection_! Doesn't the word 'cautious' mean anything to you? Why do you keep putting yourself in danger? Walking out on your own at night? How _stupid _can you get! You keep complaining about those scars, keep going like this and you'll wind up with a lot worse!" He was only vaguely aware of the fact that they were outright yelling by now, and someone was bound to hear them. Someone needed to talk some sense into the girl somehow.

He didn't have time to think on it. Something in her eyes seemed to change; she was giving him the same look she'd given Scarlet earlier that night, except it was more intense, making her look slightly crazy. And then she was moving forward, too fast for him to do anything as she pounced on him, forcing him back against the wall, her small, but shockingly strong, hands on his throat. He was twice her size. Under normal circumstances, he would have been able to fight her off.

These were not at all normal circumstances.

"J-Jacky…p-please…I-I can't…" He choked.

She squeezed harder, the look in her eyes getting all the more intense. He was seeing spots; he pulled at her arm, trying to make her let go. Panic began to set in as his lungs burned, desperate for oxygen.

The floor shook beneath there feet. The unmistakable sound of an explosion echoed throughout the buildings beyond his apartments small windows, promptly followed by the wailing of emergency vehicles.

Jacky finally seemed to snap out of it, letting Matt go so abruptly he collapsed to his knees as he gasped for sweet, sweet air.

The look in her eyes was one of pure terror; he had no idea of exactly what it was aimed at, and didn't care. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out. She backed away, jumped when she ran into the wall behind her, then turned and sprinted out the door, violently bumping into one of his neighbors as she went.

Matt didn't even try to run after her.

_**Ok, so, I know the Joker hasn't been in there too much so far, just in bits in pieces, but don't give up on me yet. I do know where I'm going with this. :)**_

_**Sorry I stink at updates. School comes first (unfortunately). Review please!**_


	16. NOT Crazy

It was just past one a.m. when Jacky finally made it back to her Uncle's penthouse. Her mother was going to kill her for disappearing like she had, but that was the last thing on her mind after everything else that had happened. The Joker's creepy red smile kept appearing in her minds eye, as well as visions of Matt kissing an older woman and his terrified face as she pounced on him.

The explosion she'd heard earlier was still ringing in her ears as well. She knew that her Uncle Joe had to be dead, and putting that on top of everything else made it all far too overwhelming. She couldn't seem to think, her brain wouldn't work; her legs had carried her back toward her Uncle Bruce's penthouse without her even realizing it. It was as if she was running on instinct.

She knew only two things; she needed to get home, and she just wanted to sleep.

* * *

Bruce glanced down at his phone, frowning when two things immediately caught his attention: Vicky had called him some 6 times, probably wondering where he was, and it was just past one in the morning. Under normal circumstances (well, normal for him) he would still have been out patroling the streets after the Joker got away again, but he couldn't afford to be out all night with Vicky and Jacky staying with him.

Neither of them was stupid. He knew he'd have to be careful or else they'd probably wind up finding out about his little secret, and he wasn't ready for that to happen just yet.

* * *

Jacky shuffled into the penthouse, almost zombie-like in her movements. All was silent and the rooms were dark. Had her mother gone to bed, even with her gone?

Jacky headed towards the short flight of stairs leading up to the bedrooms. She was only half paying attention to her surroundings, and couldn't see very well in the dark, and so didn't see the dark figure in front of her until it was too late. She ran straight into what seemed like a solid wall.

* * *

Bruce let out an involuntary hiss when he ran into someone. All was silent in the penthouse, and dark too. He hadn't been exptecting to run into anyone.

He could clearly see the sillouette of whoever it was in front of him now. He reached for the nearest lightsource, found one on a wall nearby, and turned it on.

He wasn't too surprised to see Jacky standing before him with a bewildered and almost vacant expression on her face. Well, he wasn't too surprised that it _was _Jacky; the vacant look she had in her eyes unnerved him a little.

"Jacky?" He asked.

She continued to just stare at him.

"Jacky, are you ok? Why are you up so late?"

She blinked a few times, but her expression remained blank in a very alarming way.

"Jacky?" He took a step towards her. "Jacky, say something." He grabbed her shoulders when she still didn't respond, shaking her lightly. "Jaqueline!"

"Joker...g-got scars…Matt…can'tbreath…choking him…boom, sirens…" She finally responded, if the incoherent mumbling she'd taken up could even be counted as a response. The disjointed two and one word sentences made no sense to his mind, and he only vaguely registered that she'd said the words 'Joker' and 'choking'.

Bruce kept a loose grip on her shoulders, looking into her eyes, trying to find any signs that Jacky was actually coming around, but he found none.

"Alright. Doesn't look like asking questions now will do any good." He took a breath and fought off the panicky feeling in his gut with a much-practiced control. "For now let's try getting you to bed. Maybe some sleep will get things working again."

"Sleep…yeah…wanna sleep…" She muttered, the only other response he would get from her that night.

Bruce took her into her bedroom, managed to guide her to the bed where she laid down of her own accord. He then slid off her shoes for her and pulled her blankets up around her.

He stayed in the hallway outside Jacky's bedroom that night, worried about leaving her alone in the strange state she was in. He didn't sleep much, but that was nothing too unsual.

* * *

Jacky was confused the next morning when she woke up in her bedroom, still wearing the black jeans and shirt she'd been wearing the night before. How had she gotten there? She couldn't remember. In fact, she rememebered almost nothing after leaving the penthouse; her memory was entirely blank.

Her legs felt stiff; had she been running maybe? Where had that thought even come from? Why would she have been running? It wasn't even like she'd had a real destination in mind when leaving.

Jacky got up and nearly tripped on her black Converse shoes, which were sitting right next to her bed. It was strange, not having any memory of taking them off. She made her way out of the room and into the hallway, looking around.

There was a pillow and a blanket just outside her bedroom, as though someone had slept there. Jacky stared at down at them blankly for a moment before moving down the hallway and towards the stairs.

There was no one down there either, at least no one sitting in the living area anyways. The t.v. was off and everything was in perfect order, the way Alfred had most likely made sure to leave it the night before.

Where was everyone? She'd seen her clock before leaving her room; it was eleven. Her mother was always awake before nine.

"Mom?" She called out, looking around. She got no answer, so she made her way towards the kitchen. Maybe her mom had gotten up late and was eating or something.

She froze for a moment when the heart wrenching sobs first reached her ears. She'd heard a similar sound a couple times before, only when her mom had cried over her brother and dad.

_What_ could have _happened_ to make her sob like that _now_? Jacky almost ran to the rest of the way to the kitchen, throwing the door open.

"Mom? Uncle Bruce? What's going on?" She crossed the kitchen quickly and knelt down in front of her mother, who continued to sob uncontrollably.

"J-Joe…J-Joe-joe is…" Her mom tried to get out, but a fresh wave of tears prevented her from being able to go further.

"I'm sorry, Jacky, so sorry. You're Uncle Joe is dead."

Jacky stared up at Bruce blankly for a moment, his words taking a moment to sink in fully.

"What?" She shrieked, springing to her feet. "Dead? How can he be dead? What happened? What did the clown do to him?"

Bruce didn't reply. She felt a tear slide down her cheek.

"H-he blew him up, didn't he? Poor Uncle Joe…" She looked down, shook her head, looked back up with a fire blazing in her eyes. "And where were all the cops he worked with? Where was that stupid good-for-nothing Bat?"

Something flickered across Bruce's face, a genuine emotion that she couldn't place because it was gone too quickly.

"I'm sorry, Jacky." He said quietly, and there was something odd about the tone of his voice…

She froze and stared at him as that same striking suspiscion came back. What if…?

Jacky swiped at her eyes, furiously trying to make the tears go away. She turned back to her mom, who was still sobbing, and knelt back down in front of her.

"I-it's ok mom. I-it really is. Uncle Joe…Uncle Joe and dad were like best friends, right, so…so now they're probably by some lake in heaven fishing or something…" She trailed off as the slightest chuckle escaped her mom's lips, followed by twice as many tears as before…

* * *

"You honestly don't remember? You were gone for over three hours, Jacky." Bruce studied Jacky as she sat before him, arms crossed, looking angrier by the minute. She was hiding something, she had to be.

"No, Uncle Bruce, I honestly don't remember." She replied, and she wasn't even trying to sound calm now. "I'm telling you, all I remember is walking out the door and then waking up in my bedroom this morning."

"But your boyfriend-"

"That idiot is NOT my boyfriend!"

Bruce sighed.

"_Matt_ called me this morning with a number he could only have gotten from you somehow, telling me you'd gone, and I quote, 'psycho, crazy, completely crazy'. People don't just say things like that, not in this town."

"Yeah, I get that, but I'm telling you, I _don't remember what happened_."

"Well, I'm sorry, but that's not really going to cut it as an excuse."

"Why? What's the liar gonna do, tell someone I came in and tried to beat him up or something? I mean, come on."

Bruce gave Jacky a look. She fidgeted, obviously growing uncomfortable.

"Uhm, what exactly did he say?"

"He said…" Bruce hesitated, took a deep breath, forced an unreadable expression on his face before continuing. "He said that you attacked him, Jacky. Choked him, to the point where he could not breath and there are bruises on his neck to proove it. And last night, when you ran into me as I told you, you mumbled something about Matt, about choking him. Now, "he paused again, catching her gaze and holding it, "if you say that you don't remember, I believe you. But you have to understand; that implies there's something not right…that you're…"

"Like, mentally unstable or something like that…" She finished for him, looking down.

"Well…yes… it's possible…something like that."

"I-is Matt ok? I mean, I didn't… I didn't really hurt him that bad, right? If it was me, which I'm telling you it couldn't have been."

"I don't know. He went in to talk to the police, so I'm assuming he's alright."

"Wait, he was talking to the police? They saw his bruises?"

Bruce nodded mutely.

"And he insists it was me?"

Another nod.

"I've never known him to lie about things like that…and how could he fake the bruises…" She trailed off, suddenly feeling terrified. "Maybe I really did attack him! Maybe I went all the way to his apartment, nearly killed him, and then came back, and I don't even remember a thing! U-uncle Bruce… W-what's wrong with me?"

"Look, don't panic yet, just… just try to stay calm. We'll figure this out. Lets go down to the station, see what's going on down there. If they can confirm that it was you – and believe me, they have ways – then we'll have to…"

"Have to what? Have to what, Uncle Bruce?" Jacky was on the verge of hysterics, not liking where this was going. What would hey do to her? Would they arrest her for assault or something? Or would they make her talk to some doctor because she couldn't remember? The idea of being labeled as crazy terrified her to no end. Even if she couldn't remember, she would NOT be the crazy one.

Bruce gave her a sympathetic look, grabbing her arm with a gentle but firm grip.

"Calm down, it's alright, just come on…"

He lead her out of the penthouse and into one of his less flashy cars, which was already waiting for them on the street, giving her the sense that he'd been planning to take her down to the station all along anyways.

There was no way any of it could be happening. Matt was a liar. Yeah, that was it. He was mad because she probably broke up with him in his apartment the night before, and was trying to get back at her. It was all one big joke. Ha ha. She hoped Matt knew that now she had a reason to really kill him. Claiming that she was psycho, crazy.

He was _such_ a liar, and she was NOT crazy.


	17. May I Have This Dance

Jacky stared into the mirror before her, scrutinizing every inch of the makeup covered skin on her pale cheeks. They had finally healed, and the doctors had told her she could start putting makeup on again.

She'd actually been able to muster a real smile when they told her this.

The makeup was doing its job well; she'd experimented on how to put it on just right and now there was nothing for anyone to stare at anymore. Her mother tried to tell her that she didn't need it, saying she'd always thought it silly that young and pretty girls like Jacky were so obsessed with superficial things like makeup.

Jacky had taken to ignoring her quite completely.

She hadn't seen Matt in over a month, since _that_ night apparently, though she still couldn't remember what happened. Dissociative amnesia; that's what they were calling it. She still didn't believe it. And even if Matt had been telling the truth, she thought it was his own fault for cheating on her.

He'd tried to get a hold of her, texting and calling her, leaving her messages about how he just wanted to talk, wanted to know if she was ok. What was with him, anyways; why would he be so worried about her when she'd supposedly gone psycho on him?

Nevermind the fact that, because of him, everyone's newest concern about her seemed to involve her being a bit mental. Whatever.

She'd started to notice some things, though, things that others – like her mother and Alfred – seemed to either not notice or ignore. And all of them involved her Uncle Bruce and his strange routines. At night, when she couldn't fall asleep, she'd wander quietly out of her bedroom, driven by a need to simply not be alone, thinking sometimes to find her Uncle Bruce. He wouldn't be in his room. For that matter, he wouldn't be anywhere in the penthouse, at all. On these occasions she would go back to her room, where sleep would eventually come, and when she woke up her Uncle Bruce would be back, sleeping, with Alfred telling her he 'didn't feel well'.

She'd come to two possiblities, the first being that perhaps her Uncle really was the big party boy everyone thought he was, in which case he was probably a raging alcoholic as well, what with all the times he 'didn't feel well.' She'd actually bounced this idea off of her mother before, and her mother had rejected instantly. Jacky was beginning to get the feeling her mother and Uncle were getting awful close…

The second possibility involved a certain tall and dark figure dressed like a bat, with peircing, familiar eyes. She didn't dare voice this idea to anyone. They might think her crazy. Er, crazier? And what would she say to her _Uncle_, anyways?

Needless to say, she'd taken to studiously avoiding most everyone, including her Uncle Bruce, as well as watching him like a hawk, just as he seemed to watch her.

Jacky forced herself to stand after a while of staring into the mirror blankly, lost in thought. She walked over to her closet and pulled out the item just inside it. It was a gown, long and gothic, a deep, blood red color covered in black lace.

A pair of shiny black stilettoes and a necklace and earrings made of pearls would complete her outfit for the night.

A combination graduation and 18th birthday party for her. Her Uncle Bruce really liked to do everything big, didn't he? She guessed that it was just his way of trying to take her and her mother's mind off of…things.

She got dressed, finished her makeup, rechecked it several times to make sure she looked perfect and as normal as possible, and then slipped out the door.

* * *

"You could, you know, be _social_ for once. Talk to someone. _Dance _with someone. For goodness' sake, Jacky, this is _your _party." Her mother, as usual, wouldn't shut up.

"I don't recall ever saying I _wanted _one. Especially not back at this place. Whose idea was it to have another party at Club Ice, exactly?"

"You should feel lucky you didn't even have to! Your Uncle put all this together thinking you'd like it. Not to mention he's paying for you to go to college. I suggest you start being a little more grateful."

"Whoever said I was _un_grateful, mother?" She tried not to sound _too_ much like the stubborn teenager that she was. Didn't being 18 mean she was supposed to be more grown up or something?

"You don't have to _say _it with the way you're acting. Oh! That young man over there has been eyeing you for a while now. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think you should go talk to him. He's cute, isn't he?"

Jacky had noticed already. He was pretty cute, in an unconventional kind of way. Dark hair slicked back loosely. Big nose, but couple it with his full lips and brown eyes… he was actually pretty handsome.

"You know what, mother, if it will make you stop talking, I will gladly go and talk to…whoever that is." She stood up and tried to be as graceful as possible as she glided across the room.

"Well, hello, beautiful." He greeted her as she walked up. He was wearing a fine tux, she realized, looking him over. Bow tie and all.

"I'm guessing you say that to just about every girl you start eyeing like that, but thank you anyways. I'm Jacky and I'm only over here because my mother wouldn't shut up."

He laughed.

"I don't actually make a habit of eyeing girls, only the very pretty ones. You're welcome, anyways. I'm Jimmy."

"Jimmy? Short for James, right?"

"That would be for me to know, and you to hopefully not find out."

"Whatever floats your boat." Jacky rolled her eyes.

They stood in a somewhat awkward silence for a while. A slower song came on.

"Would you like to dance, maybe? Give you something to do. Or just to make Mom over there happy. She's been watching us this whole time."

"Sure." She sighed, sending a death glare in her mother's direction. "Why not."

He went to place his hands on her waist, a harmless and innocent position really, but she flinched anyways. She flinched when it was anybody but her mom touching her.

He frowned, taking his hands back.

"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?"

"No, no. I'm sorry. It's nothing personal." She grabbed his hands and forced herself to ignore the way her skin crawled at his unfamiliar touch, placing them back around her waist.

She wasn't sure why she got the feeling. It had started around the time she'd gotten her second scar.

Jimmy swept her across the dance floor, quite gracefully given that he wasn't the tallest, only just matching her in height.

"Wow, you can really dance can't you?"

"Maybe a little." He smiled. "So, Jacky Wayne. This whole party's supposed to be for you, I thought."

"It is."

"Well, you don't look too happy to be here."

"I haven't been in much of a partying mood here lately. Bad things seem to happen whenever I'm at one. And having it at this dump wasn't my idea, either."

"Ooooh, ouch."

"What?"

"My dad owns this place. I put a lot of work into it."

"Sorry." She snorted. "Didn't realize."

"Nah, it's alright."

"So, who _is_ your dad?" She asked, and the slow song had ended by now. He led her off the dance floor – and out of sight of her mother. They headed over towards a table set up with all kinds of fancy food.

He didn't answer her question immediately.

"Sorry." She said again. "It's none of my business, I guess."

"Don't say sorry. It's just that my dad wants to keep things a little private for now."

She laughed and he gave her an odd look.

"Oh, haven't you noticed?" She said. "The only time anyone rich wants to 'keep things private' in this town is if their the mob."

"Right." He said, then shrugged. "I don't know about my dad, but it wouldn't surprise me if he is connected. Would explain why he suddenly moved us to this place."

"How long have you guys been here?"

"Oh, a few years now. This place didn't get built until just recently, though. We moved to this part of Gotham about a month after the papers started up about you and your mother moving in with Wayne."

"You fixed this place up quick."

"Well. Dad had plenty of boys willing to help." He shrugged. Silence took over again, though not as awkward this time. Jacky looked around and could see lots of at least semi-familiar faces, people she'd met through her Uncle, and people from her school that had been as friendly as she would allow them to be.

Her Uncle himself seemed to be making himself scarce, but this didn't surprise her anymore.

"This night has been…ridiculously anticlimactic. I'm actually getting bored." She said, turning back to her new friend.

"Bored, really? And here I thought I'd made it at least a little bit better."

She quirked and eyebrow at him.

"You'll have to try a little harder than that, cupcake."

"Alright. Come with me. I think the bars open. I'll buy you a drink."

"I'm eighteen, not twenty-one." She didn't really sound alarmed at his suggestion, though. Jimmy led her over to the bar anyways.

"Neither am I." He winked. "I doubt any one will notice if it's just one little glass of the champagne everyone else is drinking."

He pulled his ID (a fake one, Jacky guessed) and some money out of his wallet as he gave the bartender an order. A few moments passed and he walked back over to Jacky, handing her a glass.

"Fair warning, stuff's stronger than most people first think."

She smiled at him and tried to appear as grown up as possible as she sipped from the glass.

She could faintly hear someone call out to Jimmy from behind her. He looked over towards where it had come from and grimaced.

"Damn. Looks like the party's over for me."

Jacky turned to look and saw a man in dark clothing beckoning Jimmy over to him.

"What's with tall, dark, and creepy?"

"Friend of my dad's. Figures these guys can't ever give me a moment of peace." He grumbled, then cleared his throat, turning his attention back to her. "You'll have to excuse me, beautiful. I hope you enjoy the rest of your party at least a little bit." He took her hand and, to her disbelief, placed a gentle kiss on the top of it. He then gave her a slight bow before slipping past her and meeting up with the man, who lead him to disappear into the crowd of other people.

She looked back down at her hand and a small smile graced her lips at the piece of paper he had discreetly handed her. It had a phone number on it.

She hid it in the bodice of her dress, and was just about to make her way back over to her mother when she felt someone grip her arm. She turned to see a tall man dressed in a suit with a green tie. He pulled her out to the dance floor rather forcefully, and her skin crawled at the unfamiliar contact.

"Dance with me, gorgeous."

"What, no, let go -!" She tried to jerk her arm away, but his grip only tightened, and something rang a bell in her brain. The tone of the stranger's voice, the strange cadence. _Dance with me, gorgeous._

_Hellllo again, gorgeous…_

_Stalking, not really the right word, gorgeous…_

She wasn't sure where or when the Joker had said that to her, but she was very sure that he had.

"You!" She hissed, eyes narrowing at him, more angry than afraid. It occurred to her, off handedly, in some strange, messed up part of her mind, that he was actually rather handsome, standing before her in a suit sans his creepy makeup. His scars were a little less noticeable, his hair brown and less greasy.

"Did yah miss me, hmm?"

"No, not a bit. Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Maybe _you_ are my something better to do. You just get feistier all the time, don't you?" He let out a creepy, gleeful giggle.

"Are you going to kill me?"

"Kill you?" He seemed incredulous somehow. "Now, why on earth would I do that, gorgeous? You're far too much _fun _for that! No nononono, I've got something else in mind. I want you to come with me."

"Come with you? Come with you _where_? _Why?_"

"Because I'm lonely?" He replied flippantly, and it sounded half a question, as if he was seeing if she'd take it as an answer.

She snorted.

"Why not just _take _me then, why all these games?"

"Why all these games? Because games are so much fun! And I can't just _take _you, you'd be no different than the rest that way. I want you to _want _to come with me!"

"You want… are you crazy!"

His eyes narrowed. And she wasn't scared by it. Actually, she recognized the look to an extent. She knew what it was like to be called crazy.

That brought her to thoughts of Matt and what he'd done to her, and suddenly an idea came to mind. A crazy, fun, horrible, but wonderful idea.

"I'll come with you, if you'll help me with something, _handsome_." She said, lightly imitating him.

"_Help _you? Whatever could you need _my _help for?"

"Well, see, I've got a little problem in the form of an ex…"

"Let's get outta here, gorgeous." He told her, and just like that she found herself slipping, quite unnoticed, out of her own party with the most wanted man in Gotham.

He led her out to an old, nondescript white van, and told her to get into the windowless backseat. She obliged. He blindfolded her and used what felt like handcuffs on her – _can't be too careful with a gal like you, eh gorgeous? –_, and she forced herself to stay calm, reminding herself that if he'd wanted to hurt her, she'd be long dead. Within five minutes of leaving Club Ice they were gone.

* * *

"Bruce, have you seen Jacky? She went off to dance with one of these young men about an hour ago, and no one's seen her since."

"Where would she have gone?"

"I don't know." Vicky heaved a sigh. "The girls been so unpredictable lately…"

"I'm sure she's alright." He replied, managing to sound much more confident than he felt.

"Yes, but… Bruce, what if she _isn't_?" She looked like she was maybe close to tears for being so worried. Bruce led her over to a quieter corner of the large room with a gentle hand on her arm.

"Jacky's a smart girl, I believe she can handle herself alright."

"But after what happened last time she disappeared like this… and she hasn't been the same."

"After everything that's happened, it's probably to be expected that she close herself off a little."

"A little? She barely talks to me anymore!"

"Alright. The party ends in an hour anyways. Try to keep calm. I'll go look for her."

"But Bruce…" She paused as realization seemed to dawn on her face. "Oh, by look for her, you mean…"

He meant as the Bat. How Vicky had actually found out his little secret had been something of a mystery. She'd put herself in no small amount of danger, following him to the abandoned work sight that hid the underground bunker. He'd realized who was following him only just in time.

It was nice though, somehow, that she knew. And he'd found her to be more than trustworthy with his massive secret.

"Just be careful if you do find her. That girl's got twice the brains that I do and the only reason she hasn't figured you out yet is because she's hesitant to ask questions."

He paused a moment before saying what he did next.

"Twice the brains that you do. She must be quite the genius then."

Was it just him, or did Vicky's cheeks turn a rather becoming shade of red at that.

"Are you trying to tell me I'm smart or something?"

"That was the general idea." He offered her a small, genuine smile. "Don't worry, Vicky. I'll find her."

* * *

_**Wow, so, yeah, it's been a while. I have no excuse, really, just lost interest in this story for a while. **_

_**Review, please, and let me know whether you liked this chapter, so I know to keep going. There'll be some real action within the next two chapters at least.**_


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